Come Little Children
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: A mysterious siren that lures in young children with a small cry, of, "Come little children, don't be shy..." Life on Berk has never been better. Unfortunately, that means that it can only get worse. A new dragon that lures in its prey with a mysterious "siren" is discovered, and lives are put at risk. Will Berk survive? Requested by freyathefearless, guest.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a new story, requested by freyathefearless, guest. :D Thanks, freya, for requesting this, and thanks for being patient! On with the story! :D**

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"What is the class of a Deadly Nadder, team Fishstrid," said Hiccup.

"Tracker, formerly Sharp," said Astrid.

"Correct, five points," said Hiccup, adding five tally marks to the board behind him. "Okay, what is the shot limit of a Monstrous Nightmare, team Snotnuts."

"Three," said Snotlout.

"Five," said Tuffnut.

"Seven," said Ruffnut.

"Incorrect, the answer is ten," said Hiccup. "Three points."

"Well who made you the head of the dragon academy?" said Tuffnut.

"Stoick," said Astrid.

"Moving on," said Hiccup. "Team Fishstrid; name one of the Changewing's special abilities."

"Camouflage," said Fishlegs.

"And acid spitting," said Astrid.

"Correct," said Hiccup. "Five points. That makes one hundred seventeen for team Fishstrid, and ten for team Snotnuts."

"And they started with ten!" Astrid laughed.

"Yeah, well, welcome to loserville!" said Tuffnut. "Wait...what team am I on?"

"Guys..." Hiccup groaned. "Don't do this again."

"Are we done training?" said Ruffnut eagerly.

"We just _started_ training, guys," said Hiccup.

"Okay, great, see you tomorrow!" said Ruffnut. Then, she, Tuffnut and Snotlout jumped on their dragons, and left the academy.

"GUYS!" Hiccup shouted, but they either couldn't hear him, or ignored him when they did. Hiccup sighed. "Just another-" he sighed, "-fun day on Berk..." he mumbled.

"Nothing unusual here," said Fishlegs.

"They'll be back," said Astrid. "They always are."

"But that's not the problem, Astrid," said Hiccup. "If we can't depend on them in training how can we _possibly_ depend on them, the next time we run into Alvin?"

She stopped. "I don't know," she admitted. "I suppose we can't."

" _Precisely_ ," said Hiccup. "Their stupidity makes them blind to what's important. If Dagur attacks, we're going to need all the riders we can get."

"Oh," said Astrid. "There was...um...something I was meaning to tell you earlier, but then we started training, and I kind of forgot about it."

Hiccup looked at her expectantly.

"My Mom is pregnant," said Astrid. "I'm going to be a big sister."

"Really!?" Hiccup asked. Astrid nodded. "THAT'S AWESOME!" he shouted.

"That's incredible!" said Fishlegs.

"I know!" said Astrid. "I'm so excited about it, but I just don't know how I should act exactly. I'm just so used to being an only child, for fifteen years..."

"You'll do great," said Hiccup. "I still think it's amazing. I can see it now. I bet she'll look just like you."

"She'll?" said Astrid. "We don't know if it's a boy or a girl."

"It'll be a girl," said Hiccup. "What's your predicament?"

"No idea," said Astrid. "And how do you sound so certain about it?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Absolutely _no_ idea," he said. "I think it'll be a girl."

"You said _think_ that time," said Astrid.

"What do you think, Fishlegs?" said Hiccup. "Boy or girl?"

"I'm going to have to say boy," said Fishlegs. "Why are we doing this again?"

"Because it's fun," said Astrid. "I'm with Fishlegs; boy."

"Girl," said Hiccup.

"Whatever, Haddock," said Astrid. "She's going to be _my_ younger sibling, remember."

"You said _she's_."

"Shut up."

Hiccup put his hands up in surrender. "I'm justsayin'."

"Boy," said Astrid.

"Girl," said Hiccup.

"Are you guys seriously arguing about this?" said Fishlegs.  
" _No,"_ said Astrid and Hiccup in unison. Fishlegs put his hands up, deciding no longer to get involved, mounted Meatlung, and then headed off.

"Girl," Hiccup whispered to Astrid.

"Boy," said Astrid.

...

It was a girl.

Of course, as soon as Astrid told Hiccup two days after the baby's birth, he had gone on about "I told you it was a girl!" or "I was right!", which both earned a good punch on the shoulder from Astrid. But she was beaming the entire time. She was a big sister now.

"So...what have you guys decided to name her?" Hiccup asked her when he and she were saddling their dragons at the academy one evening.

"My parents haven't decided yet," said Astrid, dusting Stormfly's saddle off a bit, even though it didn't need it. "We're thinking something along the lines of Amber."

"Amber, huh?" said Hiccup, tightening the strap that held Toothless' saddle on his back. "That's a pretty name."

"Well, it's either that, or Avril," said Astrid. "If you were to pick one or the other, which would it be?"

"Um...I dunno," said Hiccup, tugging gently at Toothless' saddle to make sure it was securely fastened. "Avril's pretty, but so is Amber...I guess I would have to say Avril, if I'm completely honest with myself."

"Yeah, that's kind of what we're leaning towards," said Astrid.

"Avril Hofferson," said Hiccup. "Ha, I like it. What about a middle name?"

"We're thinking that whichever name we pick, the other one will be the middle name," said Astrid. "So it's either Avril Amber Hofferson, or Amber Avril Hofferson."

"Tricky," said Hiccup. "Picking which one, I mean."

"Ahh, it's not too bad," said Astrid. "Besides, it's worth it."

"Congrats, by the way," said Hiccup, stepping back to look at his work with the saddle. He made a frame with his fingers, and squinted. "On becoming a big sister, I mean," he said, lowering his hands and turning around to face Astrid. "I'm happy for you."

"Oh, well, thanks," said Astrid. "Are we going to let her have a place in the academy when she gets older?"

"I don't see why not," said Hiccup. "That'd be cool, actually. Another Hofferson in the Dragon Training academy." He drew his dagger, knelt down in front of Toothless and started cutting off some of the extra straps that the saddle didn't need.

"Yeah, I guess it would be," said Astrid. "When she's older, though."

"Precisely," said Hiccup, standing back up and sheathing his dagger. "Can't have another Gustav happen."

"Oh tell me about it," said Astrid. "But I doubt she'll be that annoying."

"Yeah, me too," said Hiccup. "She's a Hofferson, after all. So...when you figure out which name you and your family pick, tell me, okay? I still think I like Avril Amber Hofferson better in my own personal opinion, but they're both beautiful names, so really, it doesn't matter which one you pick. Amber Avril or Avril Amber."

"Thanks," said Astrid. "I'm counting on it being Avril."

"Me too," said Hiccup.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello hello, awesome people who are more awesome than me! 'Tis I, coming to...do stuff...gah. :D So, enjoy chapter 2! :D**

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 _ **THREE YEARS LATER**_

Avril Amber Hofferson raced through the plaza, followed closely by a Deadly Nadder. The young girl yelped and ran, hiding behind one of the houses. She held her breath, and then laughed when she felt the dragon nuzzle her from behind.

"Aww Stormfly!" the three year old pouted. "You found me again!"

Stormfly chirped.

"Okay, your turn to hide," said Avril. "I'll count. One...two...three..." She proceeded to cover her eyes with her hands as Stormfly scurried off to hide somewhere.

She and Avril had formed a friendship; of course, Stormfly was still Astrid's dragon, but she loved Avril as if she were one of her own hatchlings. In the dragon's mind, Avril _was_ a hatchling, with her size, and how much she depended on other people to supply her needs.

Whenever they played hide-and-seek, as they were doing on that sunny afternoon, Stormfly always made sure she hid somewhere where Avril could find her. For, example, a tree.

"Twenty!" Avril finished. "Ready or not, here I come!" She looked around, and marched towards Stormfly's hiding place. "Found you!" she cried. Stormfly looked up and huffed in the young girl's face. Avril laughed, and then got ready for her turn, when footsteps stopped her.

"Avril!" said Astrid. "Where have you been all...oh," she stopped, seeing Stormfly in the tree. "You two playing hide-and-seek again?" Astrid asked.

Avril nodded intensely. "Yes!" she said. "It fun! You wanna play with us, big sister?"

"I would love to," said Astrid, "but I'm in the middle of training right now. You need to tell me before you run off. I thought something had happened to you, and got ready to sound the alarm."

"Well, I'm here," said Avril. "Can I come to training with you? Pweeeeaassee, Astrid? Just this one time?"

Astrid rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Fine," she said. "Come on, let's head over before the others start to wonder where we are."

"Yay!" Avril shrieked in joy. "Hear that, Stormfly?" she said. "We're going to train!"

The branch Stormfly was perched on snapped under the weight of the dragon, and Stormfly fell to the ground with a thud. Avril laughed, and then ran over to her, Astrid hot on her heels.

"Can I drive?" said Avril.

"Absolutely not," said Astrid.

"But Hiccup let's me drive Toothless!" said Avril.

"That's because he's too wishy-washy to refuse," said Astrid. "And he controls Toothless with his tailfin, not the same way I control Stormfly. So you're not actually controlling him."

"It doesn't matter to me. Aww, please, Astrid?" said Avril.

"No," said Astrid. "Come on, get behind me. We're heading off to the training academy."

Avril perked up in an instant, and was on Stormfly's back, sitting behind Astrid, her arms wrapped around her sister's waist. Then, they took off.

Avril looked, in a way, like Astrid; same blue eyes and blonde hair, only she wore hers in double braids that were constantly messy. She wore a brown shirt with a matching brown skirt and belt. She was very mature for a three year old, and was often mistaken for an older age of either four or five, or sometimes even six.

"We're here," said Astrid as she landed Stormfly in front of the academy. Dismounting, and helping Avril dismount, the two of them were about to head inside, followed quickly by Stormfly. Just as they did, the academy exploded in a cloud of smoke.

"Just another fun day on Berk," Astrid mumbled.

"Explosions!" said Avril excitedly. "Can I blow things up, Astrid?"

"You most certainly can _NOT_ blow things up," said Astrid.

"Aww," Avril pouted.

Just as they spoke, Hiccup came running out of the academy, followed by Toothless. He regarded Astrid and her little sister with a quick nod before he turned and ran in the opposite direction, Toothless in close pursuit.

Hiccup grabbed a bucket from the side of a house and handed it to his dragon. The Night Fury grabbed the bucket in his teeth and then raced towards the ocean. Astrid and Avril approached the eighteen-year-old dragon rider as he watched his dragon run off, obviously awaiting his return.

"So..." said Astrid. "What's up?"

"The sky," said Hiccup matter-of-factly.

Astrid whacked his forearm. "You know what I mean," she said.

"Yeah, I do," said Hiccup, wincing and rubbing the spot Astrid hit. When he didn't answer her earlier question, she repeated it.

"So...what's up with the academy?" said Astrid.

"Snotlout's pathetic excuses for proper training," Hiccup grumbled. "He doesn't even know what 'proper training' means. And he wouldn't know either, even if it hit him over the head!" Toothless returned with the bucket, which was now filled with water. Hiccup thanked the dragon, and then ran back into the academy, Astrid, Avril, Stormfly and Toothless hot on his heels.

Hiccup stomped into the academy with a purpose, and then dumped the bucket of water upside down, spilling the contents onto a smoking barrel Snotlout decided would make a good target.

Then, once the smoke was clearing a bit, he turned around and faced a sheepish looking Snotlout, wringing his hands together, soot smudged on his face.

Hiccup crossed his arms and tapped his foot, waiting for his cousin to explain.

Snotlout felt Hiccup's gaze on him, and quickly thought up an excuse. "Boy, am I beat!" he said, fake yawning. "I better hit the sack! Come on, Hookfang!" He whistled to his dragon, mounted him, and then took off.

"That's what I _thought_ you'd say," said Hiccup, uncrossing his arms and putting a hand on Toothless' head.

Avril cackled like it was hilarious, while Astrid gave her an "stop-laughing-it's-not-funny" type look, which Avril instantly read and shut her mouth as quickly as possible.

"Morning, Avril," said Hiccup. "You too, Astrid. You guys ready for some training to start?"

"Yeah," said Ruffnut and Tuffnut, appearing, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Snotlout's kind of bored me with his explosions," said Tuffnut.

"I never though I'd live to hear you say that, Tuffnut," said Hiccup with a smirk. "Well then, let's get started, shall we?" He turned, mounted Toothless, and took to the sky, the others in close pursuit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Sorry for not updating until now. I was cooking. I was cooking _a lot_ with like, five minute breaks in between recipes, so I had time to do...THIS. :D *gestures to chapter* Enjoy chapter 3! :D **

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"Looks like a storm's brewing," Hiccup mused, licking one of his fingers and putting it up over his head, feeling the heavy wind brush against it. "Those clouds sure look promising."

Astrid, Hiccup, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs and Avril all looked in the direction of the dark, heavy thunder clouds that looked ought to burst in all the storm's mighty fury at any given moment in the world.

"We should go tell the others," said Astrid, turning back to face Hiccup. "We don't know when it'll be here, but it doesn't look too far off, now does it?"

"No it doesn't," said Hiccup. "And with the heavy winds, it shouldn't be too long." He turned around to assess his students. "Come on," he said. "We're heading back to the village."

...

The villagers were already battening down the hatches, preparing themselves for the storm to come. They were running around the village like mad, gathering resources to store in some of the storehouses to use as long as the storm persisted.

Hiccup and the other dragon riders landed in front of the Great Hall and dismounted. They raced forward in the direction of the building and stopped in front of it. Stoick was giving orders to villagers as the wind picked up dramatically.

"Hiccup," said Stoick, "make sure everyone gets inside."

Hiccup nodded with a quick "On it" and then mounted Toothless again, heading back to the academy to see if Snotlout had returned or not. While Stoick gave instructions to the other dragon riders and villagers, they raced off to do it quickly.

Once Astrid was assigned to a certain task, she looked at Avril. "You get into the Great Hall," she said. "Stay there until I get back, okay?"

Avril nodded quick while Astrid turned and ran off. The young three-year-old started climbing the steps leading up to the Great Hall, her mind set on doing as her sister had told her to. But just as her hand moved to open the door, she stopped, her fingers hovering over the handle.

 _Come_... The wind seemed to be whispering to her in a soothing voice. Avril turned around slowly, trying to see where it was coming from, but she heard nothing. She turned around once more, her back to wherever the voice came from, but then she heard it a second time; this time, more cleared and slightly louder.

 _Come...little children_... The sweet sounding voice spoke. She couldn't make out a gender; it could have been a boy, or it could have also been a girl, but there was no way Avril could have figured it out.

 _Don't...be shhhhhhhhyyy_... The voice whispered to Avril once more. _Come! Come!_

Avril looked around, trying to find out where the voice was coming from; but none of the other villagers were even looking at her, and none of them appeared to hear the voice. Avril was too little to realize the danger that the voice could have brought, so she did the only thing she knew what to do.

She responded.

"Where do I come?" she whispered.

She didn't get an answer. The voice just kept whispering, _Come, little children...come...now, don't be...sssshhhhhhy._

Avril, not knowing what else she was supposed to do, followed the voice. Everyone was too frantic and busy to notice the three-year-old walking into the woods, her eyes set on the area in front of her, her ears tuned to pick up the mysterious voices.

 _Come..._ The voices hissed through the wind. Avril continued to walk, feeling uneasy all the same. Then, all at once, the noises stopped. She looked around, and found herself in one of the only clearings on Raven Point. She turned in a full circle, and then was just about to head back to the village, when she heard a _THUMP_.

It came from directly behind her and towered over her, the shadow bigger than the Great Hall itself. Avril turned around slowly, her eyes widening, and then she screamed bloody murder.

...

Astrid was panicking the minute she found her little sister missing. She had at first thought that the child had gone to play with Stormfly again, but the Nadder was helping the dragons and villagers get ready for the storm that laid ahead.

"Avril?" Astrid spun in a circle, her eyes searching for her sister. "Avril!" she shouted.

As if on cue, Toothless swooped down and landed directly in front of Astrid, allowing his rider to dismount.

"Astrid!" Hiccup shouted, running towards her. "Where's Avril?"

"I don't know!" Astrid shouted in response. "Maybe she wandered off, or...maybe...maybe something happened, or...she's gone, Hiccup! Either way, she's missing! What am I supposed to do!?"

"Get inside," said Hiccup. "I'll take Toothless and look for her."

"You can't!" said Fishlegs, overhearing the conversation and rushing up to the two dragon riders. "There's lightning, and now it's raining! You can't expect Toothless to be able to fly in conditions like that! You'll be killed!"

"So will Avril if she's left out there alone," said Hiccup. "And she's only three. Get inside, both of you. Help the others, don't follow me!"

"Hiccup wait!" Astrid shouted. "I'm coming with you."

"No you're not!" said Hiccup.

"But she's my sister!" said Astrid. "I have to find her!"

"You can't, Astrid," said Hiccup. "I don't want you getting hurt!"

"Do you ever think that maybe I feel the same way about you!?" said Astrid.

"Astrid, when I bring Avril back, she's going to need someone to be strong for her," said Hiccup. "She's going to need her sister. But she can't have her sister, if she's injured!"

Hiccup re-mounted his dragon without another word, looked one last time at Astrid's shocked expression, and the Night Fury was soon airborne.

As much as Astrid wanted to follow him, she didn't. If he couldn't find Avril, no one could. Besides, he was right. Avril would need her when hiccup brought her back.

But she still couldn't help but worry a bit.


	4. Chapter 4

Hiccup swooped low over Reaven Point, searching for Astrid's little sister. He didn't tell Astrid, but he had made a promise to both her and Avril; he would protect them both, no matter what it took him.

And that was a promise he intended to keep for as long as he lived.

So when he found Avril, laying on the ground in the woods, unconscious, he nearly panicked.

He directed Toothless to land, and then jumped off his dragon's back probably sooner than he should have. He stumbled and almost fell, catching himself by running a few extra steps before he raced over to the girl. He knelt down next to her as Toothless raced up behind him, and then listened for a heartbeat. She was alive, and besides the fact that she was unconscious, looked unharmed.

Hiccup was so relieved he could have laughed out loud. A boom of thunder and strike of lightning told him indirectly that the storm was dangerous, and already there. And then it started raining. So, as quickly as he could have, he picked Avril up, and mounted Toothless once more. Just as he did, though, a shadow loomed over him, shaking the ground as it stepped down.

Hiccup turned around, and then gasped.

"Toothless, we have to get out of here," he said. The Night Fury growled, roared, and shot into the air. Just as he did, though, searing white hot pain shot into Hiccup's abdomen. He screamed and clutched it with one hand, holding Avril securely in the other. They had to get back to Berk.

...

Astrid had just about lost her mind. First her little sister, and now Hiccup? Avril missing, Hiccup going out to look for her in the middle of a freak lightning storm. Who knew what that would bring?

She waited outside the Great Hall, refusing every conversation her friends tried to start with her. Her eyes remained glued to the sky, looking and waiting for Hiccup, Toothless and Avril to return, presumably safely.

She refused to move from her spot in the rain, despite the howling thunder and crashing, booming lightning that lit up the sky like fireworks, going off at random times, each strike sounding and looking more horrific than the one before.

Fishlegs tried to cheer her up, but the only thing she said was "I'm not in the mood", and then went straight back to what she was doing only moments before. She stood there at the bottom step, waiting and looking frantically, expecting Toothless to show up at any given moment in the world.

Snotlout tried to talk to her; he even offered to stand out with her. Of course, he was probably just as worried as Astrid was; Hiccup was his cousin, after all, but Astrid said no. She wanted to be alone. At least until Hiccup and her sister made it back safely.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut watched Astrid from a distance, wanting so desperately to say something, but at the same time, not knowing what to say. She shunned and tuned everyone out when they tried to talk to her; why would their insight be taken any differently?

Astrid waited. She waited and waited and waited until her legs became unable to hold her weight. And when that happened, she simply sank to the ground, bringing her knees to her chest, and continued waiting. She refused to eat, sleep, or even so much as take a break until she knew that Avril and Hiccup were safe. It was nearing midnight when...

...THERE. The tell-tale screech and roar of a certain Night Fury, the silhouette of the mighty dragon against another strike of lightning and roll of thunder to follow along. Astrid shot to her feet and raced forward as the dragon landed in front of her.

Everyone who had once been inside the Great Hall were outside; they had all heard the Night Fury cry, and had come to make sure that their heir and Avril and the dragon had all made it back safely.

They had made it back. But Astrid wasn't quite sure about the "safely" part just yet.

Hiccup was carrying three-year-old Avril in one arm, his other arm wrapped around Toothless' neck for support. Toothless appeared to be fine, but neither of the riders did. Avril looked unconscious, and Hiccup looked aware, but ready to collapse.

Astrid shrieked and ran forward, taking her sister from Hiccup's arms and looking at her intently. She was unconscious, but other than that, looked unharmed. Ruffnut came behind Astrid and looked at the child.

"Here," she offered, "I'll take her to Gothi's for you, and then she can look her over." As reluctant as she was to give her sister up when having just got her back, Astrid nodded and handed her to Ruffnut, who, with surprising gentleness, headed off to Gothi's. Astrid decided that she would go check on her as soon as she personally thanked Hiccup for saving her.

She faced the eighteen-year-old dragon rider, and then hugged him before she could think about doing anything else. On any other day, Hiccup would have reacted; maybe he would have even hugged her back. But not this day, no, not by a long shot. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stay awake. He slumped forward, his consciousness finally leaving him.

"Hiccup...Hiccup!" Astrid shouted as soon as he went limp. She lowered him to the ground the rest of the way while other villagers raced over. She felt her breath quicken. First Avril, and now Hiccup. The two people whom Astrid cared about more than anything else in the world. She couldn't lose either one of them.

With shaking hands, Astrid gulped and lifted Hiccup's shirt just slightly. Then, she gasped. Across his stomach was a long, deep, heavily bleeding gash that looked infected, red, and horribly life-threatening.

"Someone get a healer, NOW!" one of the villagers shouted in place of Astrid, who found herself unable to find her voice.

As more people raced forward, Astrid felt tears streak down her face. She couldn't lose Avril. She couldn't lose Hiccup.

Not now.

Not _ever._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5! Hello! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. We were busy...with...lots of things.**

 **Did any of you guys see fireworks on the forth? :)**

 **Anyways, enjoy chapter 5! :D**

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Needless to say, Astrid was absolutely frenzied. She paced back in forth in front of a healer's house, waiting, and waiting, just as she had the night before while awaiting Hiccup and Avril's return. Toothless waited right along side of her, growling sadly at the door more fervently each minute.

Astrid found herself wondering what had happened. Avril had gone missing, Hiccup had gone out to look for her...but there was a piece of the puzzle that simply wasn't there for Astrid to grab. Astrid had seen the absolutely horrendous gash Hiccup had received; now how had that happened?

Her first thought was; maybe Toothless had crashed. But that didn't make sense. Hiccup was the best dragon rider. He didn't just _crash_ , not unless there had been a malfunction with the tailfin, which Astrid had also considered. But after getting a good look at Toothless' tailfin, that idea was denied. There was nothing wrong with it whatsoever. Besides, if they had crashed, Toothless and Avril would have probably been hurt as well as Hiccup, and the healer had told Astrid that the only thing wrong with Avril was the fact that she was unconscious.

So what then?

She was just about to make a turn around to continue pacing in the opposite direction, when the door to the hut swung open. Astrid and Toothless both turned to face it before rushing forward as a pale-faced healer stepped outside.

"How are they?" Astrid asked.

"Avril's awake," said the healer, "but she's in shock."

"And Hiccup?" said Astrid, her mind racing and heart aching greatly at the thought of her little, baby sister being in shock.

"He's in a coma," said the healer.

Astrid felt her breath quicken as soon as the words left the healer's mouth. Without another word otherwise, Astrid pushed past her and stomped inside. She heard the door shut, Toothless being left outside since the place was too small for the dragon.

Avril was sitting up on her bed, looking straight at the opposite wall, her mouth slightly ajar. Ruffnut was sitting next to the girl, looking up when she saw Astrid enter and cross the room. Avril blinked twice, seeming not able to see what was directly in front of her.

Astrid sat down next to her sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. Avril jumped and turned her head, but stared at Astrid as she had stared at the wall. It made Astrid's heart hurt to see her little sister in such a state.

"Avril," said Astrid as gently as she could have mustered, "can you hear me?"

Avril only continued to stare.

"Avril," said Astrid. "A...Avril?"

The three-year-old made no move whatsoever.

Astrid felt tears prick her eyes, and then stood. She didn't want to leave Avril's side by a long shot, but she was also worried about Hiccup. She wanted to see how he was doing, even though the healer had practically told her already. She needed to see for herself. So, she turned around, and saw the eighteen-year-old dragon rider in one of the sick beds.

Astrid had never seen Hiccup look more terrible. He was lying, pale, and unconscious, the blanket pulled up to his chest so that his shoulders and lanky arms were exposed. His hair was matted down with sweat, and he was whimpering in his sleep.

...No, not sleep. He was in a coma.

"Oh, Hiccup," Astrid whispered. "I'm so sorry this happened to you." Hiccup didn't respond, and Astrid didn't blame him; not even faintly. He was injured, too. He needed his rest. Maybe the coma was just Hiccup's body's way of getting itself back to normal.

Even though that didn't exactly appear to be the case, it was a hope that Astrid latched onto. She knew that she didn't have anything else to do.

And so, she patted Hiccup's hand softly before leaving his side, approaching Ruffnut and Avril slowly as if Avril was a startled dragon. Astrid nodded to Ruffnut, and the Thorston quickly left the abode, after laying a hand on Astrid's shoulder in her way of showing her sympathy.

The healer walked in again as Astrid sat down beside her beloved sister, hugging her with one arm wrapped around the three-year-old's shoulders. The healer nodded to Astrid and Avril before speaking.

"You can take her home, if you want," said the healer; a middle-aged woman named Valarie. "The familiar surroundings could help. Just...be gentle and soft with her, Astrid. Don't use any loud voices, don't shout, or scream, or scare her. It could actually make it worse."

Astrid nodded, feeling heartbroken as she gently tugged on her sister's hand. Avril's head whirled in her direction, and the little girl stared into the eyes of the older girl's, seeing, but not registering.

"Avril, sweetie, we're going home," said Astrid. "Do you want to do home, Avril?"

Avril only stared at Astrid, still looking scared and terrified yet at the same time, her eyes blank, carrying no expression. Astrid glanced up at Valarie, and the woman nodded sadly. Astrid then took to the task of lifting her sister into her arms, choking down the urge to cry at the way her sister didn't protest, even a little bit.

Just before Astrid left, she turned around to face the healer.

"And what of Hiccup?" said Astrid.

"Stoick is going to come take him home after I examine the gash once more," said Valarie. "I'm going to try and identify what kind of thing made it, be it a dagger, or a sword, or a claw-"

"No, I mean," said Astrid, stepping towards the healer, "he's in a coma. He looks sick, Valarie. When will he wake up?"

Valarie lowered her gaze, not meeting Astrid's eyes. Astrid tried to find out what was going on, until it hit her.

"Valarie…?" said Astrid hesitantly. Valarie still didn't look up. "Valarie, when will he wake up?"

"I don't...I don't know, Astrid," said Valarie in response, finally meeting the girl's gaze. Astrid gasped in alarm, and although she had slightly been expecting the answer, it still shocked her and terrified her.

"You don't know when he will wake up?" said Astrid. "How can you not know when he will wake up-"

"Astrid," said Valarie, "a-at this point...I'm not even so sure...that he _will_ wake up."


	6. Chapter 6

**YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Sorry I'm making Astrid suffer so much...I don't know why. I hurt Hiccup, hurt Astrid's sister, and then write in Astrid's POV so we can see everything she's feeling, and I just...**

 **I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME, HAAALP! HEEELLP ME! SAVE ME FROM MYSELF!**

 **But I think you all like reading about a sad Astrid, or else you wouldn't still be here, so...it works for all of us. :) Enjoy chapter 6! :D**

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Astrid gasped at the healer's statement, not knowing what to think. Between her sister and Hiccup, she was scared out of her mind as badly as possible already. She didn't need more information that would make it worse.

"You don't...he has to wake up," said Astrid. "He...he _will_ wake up...right?"

"I can't say for certain either way, Astrid," said Valarie. "I really wish I could, honestly, but...I can't."

"I…" Astrid suddenly found herself scant of words and breath. She couldn't speak; her voice had just vanished. So, unable to do or say anything else regarding Hiccup, she turned and walked out the door, carrying her sister against her side with one arm while opening and closing the door with the other.

…

The days to pass came and went like a blur; Avril was still in shock, yet she managed to eat and sleep like a normal person would. She didn't speak to anyone, though; that was one thing she did not do. She never spoke, and she never registered it when someone was talking to her. They put food in front of her, and she ate it. She felt tired, and she fell asleep, not caring or really knowing where she was.

Hiccup, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. From what Astrid heard, he didn't wake up at all, not even showing any signs of it whatsoever. He got worse and worse, though, from what people told her. She was just going to see how he was doing when she bumped into one of Valarie's assistants, named Gina. She, along with another girl by the name of Rosie.

"Gina!" said Astrid, racing towards the girl of about her same age. Gina looked at her, her face solemn as Astrid stopped running in front of her. "How is Hiccup doing?" Astrid asked, her voice full of concern.

Gina shook her head. "He's getting worse every day," she said. "We try to force food into him, but his body is too weak to hold anything down other than a little bit of water. He's dehydrated still, though, Astrid, and is losing a lot of weight. If we can't manage to get something into his system, I fear he will not make it."

Astrid was taken back, feeling tons of emotions she wasn't sure what they were. She then nodded gravely, turning away from the healer and heading back towards her own house to see Avril.

She spent most her time with her sister, only because Avril needed her. Avril couldn't recognize anyone near her or with her, but Astrid knew that deep down, she needed her big sister. She was torn between Avril and Hiccup, two people she wanted to be with, while she could only pick one.

Once she made it back to her own house, she pushed the door open, and walked to Avril's room. Their Mother and Father were out during that time, so Avril was alone in the room.

Astrid couldn't help but recall when she had first brought Avril home that one day, after first learning of her condition.

" _Goodness!" her mother shouted, rushing towards Astrid and her little sister. Astrid let her mother take Avril from her when the freaked out parent held her arms out expectantly._

" _What did the healer say about her?" Astrid's father asked, approaching his wife and two daughters._

" _She...she said she's in shock," said Astrid, barely able to get the words out._

" _Oh...no," said her mother. Then, she took Avril to a separate room, shouting something about getting the girl something to eat._

 _Astrid's father remained with his older daughter, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Astrid didn't move, though, and refused to be comforted._

" _Hiccup saved her life, Dad," she said, "but now he's in a coma. They...no one knows if he will wake up...and now Avril…" She couldn't stand it, watching the two people she felt most close to suffering before her very eyes, and burst into tears, burying her head in her hands, wishing this nightmare of a life would end._

" _It'll be okay, Astrid," said her Dad. "It'll be okay."_

Astrid only wished that that were true.

Avril was where she was that morning, sitting on her bed, staring out into nothingness as if it were interesting. Astrid sat down beside her little sister, trying to think of something to do. She wanted nothing more at that point than to have Hiccup and Avril back to their normal selves, but she knew that it was only wishful thinking.

Astrid decided not to say anything, just sitting there with her sister, worrying and fretting all the while. She hadn't seen Hiccup in days, and she was worried about him, as well as Avril. At least Avril was awake, where as Hiccup wasn't even _known_ to wake up.

It terrified her even more so, thinking that maybe Hiccup would be asleep in that coma forever, never opening his eyes again, never riding another dragon, never doing anything else ever again, for the rest of his life spent in the endless sleep.

She tried to ignore the thought, but it was still there. She couldn't get rid of it, no matter how hard she tried. The two things that scared her most in the world were losing her family, and then losing Hiccup.

 _No, Hiccup will wake up,_ she tried to tell herself, but to no avail. Her bad thoughts and fears won over each time. She feared he wouldn't wake up, and from what Gina told her, dehydration and malnutrition would kill the lad before the coma did.

Her fears got the best of her, and now Astrid was panicking. It had happened before; she would work herself into a frenzy. Just before she started hyperventilating, Avril turned and looked right at her, her eyes suddenly widened in fear.

"Avril?" Astrid asked. "Avril, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

Instead of replying, Avril opened her mouth, and screamed at the top of her lungs.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everybody! :D I apologize for that last cliffhanger!...oh, wait, no I don't. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!**

 **Seriously though, I love you guys. Thank you so much for taking time to read this story! I know it isn't much...but...ya. Isn't much. But your encouraging reviews mean SO much, and thanks for all of that! Here's chapter 7! :D**

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"AVRIL!" Astrid shrieked, jumping away from the girl in shock, surprise, and terror. Avril continued screaming, now focusing her eyes on the area in front of her instead of Astrid. Astrid quickly ran over to the girl, grabbing her by the shoulders in a terrorized frenzy as she tried to figure out what was wrong with her dear little sister.

"Avril, what's wrong!?" Astrid asked, trying to get her voice over Avril's screaming. Avril merely sucked in a deep breath before she continued, louder than she had screamed previously.

Astrid was horrified now, scared out of her mind as she tried to find out what was scaring her sister, because she looked terrified. The girl continued screaming as if there were no tomorrow, looking at everything but Astrid.

Astrid was sure that the entire village could hear Avril's screaming at that point. The three year old girl didn't stop, either, even after she ran out of breath so many times. She continued to scream bloody murder, as if in severe pain.

The door to the house swung open, and Astrid looked over as Valarie, her mother, and her father raced into the room.

"What happened!?" Astrid's mother demanded.

"I don't know!" Astrid cried as the three adults raced over to Avril and her sister. "She just started screaming! I don't know why!" She didn't try to hide her fear; it would have been pointless if she had, anyways. She was terrified, and everyone on Berk probably knew it by now. Why hide it?

"Avril," said Valarie, but Avril continued screaming, as if she hadn't heard any of them. Then, Avril launched herself at Astrid, hugging her sister while she continued screaming.

Astrid, not knowing what else to do, hugged the girl back, tears flowing from her eyes just because it hurt her so much, seeing her precious sister in such a state. Suddenly, Avril stopped screaming altogether, and looked up at Astrid.

"Don't let it get me," she whispered. Then, her eyes rolled up in her head, and she went limp.

"AVRIL!" they all shouted, besides Astrid. She was too stunned and shocked to say anything or react in any way. She was vaguely aware of Valarie taking Avril from her and laying her down on the bed while examining her, trying to find out what had happened that would have made the girl so frightened.

Astrid, on the other hand, stood up abruptly, walking backwards, her eyes glued to Avril.

"Astrid, are you alright?" Astrid's mother asked.

Astrid shook her head feverishly. "No, no, I'm not," she said. "No one's alright right now. I just...I need some air." Then, she turned and bolted out the door, away from her house. She couldn't bear to see Avril in such pain. She was only three years old, for goodness sake! She wasn't supposed to be like this, for someone so young!

Astrid knew that she needed to keep her mind off her sister, but it kept drifting back there, no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't get the image of Avril screaming out of her head. The cries repeated in her head over and over again, as if it were still happening at that very moment.

Astrid stopped running once she found that she could run no longer, and then continued walking. She had to get her mind off it somehow.

She found Stormfly, and then decided that that wasn't a good idea. She had always rode Stormfly with Avril, and so it would only bring back more memories of the girl if she rode her dragon alone.

She walked and walked, until she found herself in front of the hill leading up to the Chief's house. Stoick wasn't in, probably taking care of the village, since he had been by his son's bedside for days and needed to get out at _some_ point, since the village needed him.

After a few moments of hesitation, she started climbing the hill. She was worried about Hiccup, and had been worried about him for a long time now. She needed to see him, and to make sure that he was going alright, even though she was quite certain that he wasn't.

She paused at the door, her hand hovering over the handle, until, mind made up, she pushed it open, entering the abode. The house was silent except a few whispers coming from upstairs, presumably from Valarie's two helpers, Gina and Rosie.

Astrid then slowly, ever so slowly, began walking up the stairs, disliking how they creaked beneath her feet. When she made it to the loft, she stopped, staring at the healers, and then at the boy they were tending to.

Hiccup looked even worse than he had before, if that was even possible. He was so pale he could have been dead, his countless freckles standing out painfully against his ashen skin. Gina was setting a cup of water on the desk, while Rosie was pacing, waiting for Valarie to get back.

Astrid cleared her throat to indirectly tell the two healers that she was standing there. They both turned in her direction, and then sighed, looking back at their patient.

"How is he?" Astrid asked, although she felt as if the question were pointless. She already knew how he was, and had been told before. Still, she didn't know what else to say.

Rosie shook her head. "Not good," she said. "Not good at all, Astrid. He's...he's gotten a whole lot worse since the day he was brought in, and...we don't know what to do. We're just watching him while Valarie checks on Avril."

Astrid approached the bedside, standing next to Hiccup while Gina and Rosie stood behind her, watching the scene with saddened eyes. Suddenly, Hiccup's eyes flew open as quick as lightning, and he shouted, "ASTRID!" at the top of his lungs.

"Oh my GOSH!" Rosie shrieked, jumping backwards in alarm, Gina doing the same beside her.

Hiccup sat straight up, and then started sobbing violently. "Astrid…" he whimpered, his voice barely audible, sounding broken. "Astrid."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8! And here comes Hiccstrid! :D OH BOY. Thanks to all who read, review, fav, follow, and all that good stuff. Reviews motivate me, just so you all know. :D So, here's chapter 8, and I hope you enjoy! Over and out! :D Oh, and in case you guys are wondering, Hiccup and Astrid are 18 in this, so they would look much like they did in Race to the Edge. So, ya. :D**

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"Astrid," Hiccup whimpered, and instantly, the girl was broken from her thoughts. She pulled Hiccup into a hug, holding him close to her while he sobbed and cried fervently, wrapping his arms around Astrid's waist in a death grip.

"Don't just stand there!" Astrid snapped at the people behind her, looking at them over her shoulder. "Go get the healer! And maybe a bucket of water!"

They ran off instantly, while Astrid sat herself down on the bed, still holding Hiccup close to her for fear of him slipping back into unconsciousness.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Hiccup," said Astrid gently, trying to calm him down. It didn't help, though. The poor boy was traumatized and scared. "Hiccup," said Astrid, but he only cried harder. "Hiccup, can you tell me what happened?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No," he got out between his sobs. "No...it's t-t-too h-horrible."

"I can't help you if you don't tell me," said Astrid. Hiccup still didn't respond, clinging to Astrid as if she were his lifeline, still sobbing and crying as if there were no tomorrow. Astrid hugged his cold yet feverish body to her chest once more, trying to get him to relax while at the same time, trying to coax the truth out of him.

"It was a d-dragon," Hiccup said, catching Astrid off guard. He was shaking like a leaf, yet still managed to speak. "I...I k-know it's so s-stupid...t-to be s-s-so sc-scared, but...Astrid...it...it tr-tried to…tried to..." He couldn't finish, breaking down into another sobbing fit.

"It's okay, it's okay," Astrid soothed gently. "You don't have to tell me, if it's too much." It was contradicting what she had previous said, but she still felt the need to say _something_ to him.

However, in honesty, she needed to know what it was. She needed to know what had happened. That... _whatever_ it was was slowly and painfully destroying the two people she cared about most in life: first her sister, and then Hiccup.

Hiccup shook his head, not meeting her eyes. He took in one shaky breath, and then another, before he finally got the courage to continue speaking.

"It was...big," he said. "D-dark...d-darker than...than a N-Night Fury. It...it t-tried to k-k-kill us...Astrid...m-me and A-Avril."

"What was it?" Astrid asked. "Can you tell me?" She wasn't excited about learning what had happened, but she needed to know, after all.

Hiccup shook his head, burying his face in her chest as his sobbing picked up dramatically. Astrid hugged him and rubbed his back while whispering soothing nothings, trying to get him to calm down, even just a little bit. He continued crying, until it turned to screaming; short bouts of shrill, terrified cries that would have broken anyone's heart.

"It's okay, Hiccup," said Astrid, rocking both him and herself back and forth as she rubbed his back gently in an attempt to calm him down. "It's okay, shh, Hiccup, shh. You're safe now."

"No," said Hiccup. "N-no, n-none of us a-are. It...it's s-still out th-there, Astrid. I-it s-still w-w-wants to k-k-kill us."

"I won't let that happen," said Astrid. "I promise, Hiccup, you and Avril are going to be fine. I won't let anything hurt you, okay? Can you believe me?"

Hiccup shook his head, taking in a shaky, uneven breath. Astrid pretended not to feel hurt, but in truth, it felt as if she had been stabbed in the chest. She felt heated with rage when she thought about the fact that the...the _thing_ that was slowly and painfully destroying Hiccup and slowly killing her sister was still _out there_ , alive, waiting for its next victim.

Seeing Hiccup hurting and Avril in shock - the two people she cared about most in life - made her want to kill a chicken. She knew that, at that moment, if any creature in league or following that evil "thing" came into that room, she would have killed it, no questions asked.

If it were the leader itself, she would have enjoyed it.

"D-don't…" Hiccup gasped out, "don't leave me."

"I won't," Astrid promised, brushing the bangs out of his face. His forehead was hot; he was running a fever. Then why was he shaking so badly? The lad was shivering with chills as if he were in the middle of a blizzard, trapped there for days without feeling any warmth whatsoever in so long. Hiccup held onto her, and she pulled the blanket back over him, doing her best to wrap him in it while still holding him in her arms. "I won't leave you, Hiccup," she promised. "I won't now, and I won't ever. You're fine. You're fine, Hiccup, and if something tries to hurt you again, I _will_ make them _regret_ it."

"I don't want to be alone," said Hiccup, still sobbing and crying violently.

"And you won't be," said Astrid. "I'm here, Hiccup, and you...I'll find that thing, Hiccup. I'll hunt it down. I'll protect you, and I promise you that. You'll be okay. You'll be okay, just don't worry. Just relax...try to rest."

Hiccup nodded, just barely, before he closed his eyes, falling asleep, and limp in her arms, exhausted from crying and screaming and panicking for so, so long. Astrid didn't let go of him, even after he was asleep, staring at him with more care and concern she was known to possess when it came to Hiccup.

Meanwhile, Gina and Rosie reappeared, the village healer trailing behind them while Rosie carried a bucket of water with her, setting it down by the bedside. The healer stepped forward, looking first to Astrid and then to her patient.

"Astrid, you need to leave," said the healer. "I need to examine him myself."

Astrid shook her head violently. "No!" she said. "No, he's sick, and he's scared, Valarie! I'm not leaving him, and you can't make me leave!" She hugged Hiccup closer to her body, almost defensively. "I promised him I'd stay with him! I promised I would protect him, and those are both promises that I intend to keep!"

"I understand, Astrid," said Valarie, "but you have to go, just for a few minutes...you can always come back."

"No, you don't understand," said Astrid. "I'm _not leaving_ , as in, I'm _not leaving_."

"Astrid, you have to," said Valarie.

"No, I don't have to! I'm not leaving him, and you can't make me go!" said Astrid. Then, in a much calmer voice, she whispered. "Please, Valarie," she pleaded. "He was just awake, and he was so scared...he just now got to sleep again, and he's suffering, Valarie," she was whispering now, looking to Hiccup instead of to the healer. "You can't make me leave him when he's suffering like this."

Valarie looked first to Astrid, and then to Hiccup, and sighed. "Okay," said Valarie. "Okay, I won't make you leave, just...try to be gentle with him, he _is_ still sick and trying to recover. I'll be back in just a minute."

Astrid nodded thankfully while Valarie left, calling her assistants with her, who followed her closely. Astrid held Hiccup to her once more, and then stayed there for a long time.


	9. Chapter 9

**ARE WE ON CHAPTER 9 ALREADY!? It seems like just yesterday I was posting chapter 1! Wow! Time flies, I guess. :D So, thanks for all the encouraging reviews last chapter! You guys have NO IDEA how much they mean to me! And I love Hiccstrid, so there will be TONS of that in this fanfiction, just so you know. :D Anyways, enough of my ramblings! Here's chapter 9! :D**

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Now that she actually had a chance to look at Hiccup, she saw what the healers had been talking about. He was thinner than Astrid had ever remembered seeing him, his skin sweaty and clammy from the fever he sported, yet at the same time, cold as if he were freezing to death.

Gina had said something about not being able to get Hiccup to eat, and it _definitely_ showed. Astrid could almost see his ribs through the light green shirt he was wearing, and she was quite certain that if she tried, she could count them, too.

She was scared for him. She hardly ever saw Hiccup openly admit - in words or in actions - that he was terrified, or in pain, but now, she had watched him do just that for nearly five minutes straight.

What had happened?

The first time Astrid saw the gash on Hiccup's stomach, she had been quite absolutely positive that it had come from a claw; not a sword, or a dagger, but a claw. Something had slashed Hiccup, and she was going to make sure it paid. It was making Hiccup suffer, along with Avril, and as soon as Astrid saw it, she was going to go to town on it with her axe and any other weapons she could grab.

She knew from what Hiccup had partially told her, too, that it was a dragon. Hiccup was an expert on dragons. He said that it had been a dragon, "darker than a Night Fury" that had done this to him and Avril.

Astrid felt as though she had lots of clues, yet no answers or results.

Astrid sat there, holding Hiccup in her arms gently, almost as if he would shatter if she held him too tightly. Hiccup slept for a few minutes, before his eyes jolted open again as he gasped for breath suddenly, just before he continued crying.

"Hiccup!" said Astrid, not expecting him to wake up so soon. "Hiccup, what's wrong?" she asked, this time in a calmer tone of voice. She didn't want to startle Hiccup, or scare him more than he already was.

"N...n-nightmares," Hiccup whimpered in a broken voice. "I c-can't...I c-c-can't close m-my eyes w-w-without s-seeing it." He continued crying, and Astrid held him, trying to comfort him and keep him calm.

"It's okay, Hiccup, I'm here," said Astrid. "Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes it helps."

Hiccup shook his head, and Astrid didn't push him. If Hiccup didn't want to talk about it, then she didn't want to hear it until he was ready, if he ever was.

"Gina said that you're dehydrated," said Astrid, calling to mind what the healer had told her previously. "Do you want some water?"

Hiccup nodded, not even opening his eyes. Astrid reached over, picking up the empty cup from the desk, and then scooping some water from the bucket into it. She held it to Hiccup's lips, and he took about three sips before he pulled away, leaning back against Astrid's supporting arm.

Astrid set the cup aside again. She knew that he needed to be drinking a lot of water if he was to recover properly, but she couldn't force him to do that, especially not when he was so scared, hurt, and sick.

"Th...thanks, A-Astrid," Hiccup stuttered.

"You're welcome, Hiccup," said Astrid. "When you want more, just tell me, okay?"

Hiccup nodded, sinking deeper into Astrid's embrace. She kept her arms around him, worrying for him, thankful that he was finally awake, and was able to speak and drink, even if it was just a little bit. He was still crying, but not as hard as he had been before.

"You won't leave me...w-w-will you?" Hiccup stuttered, looking up at her. Astrid looked down at him, and felt her heart break about a million times over. Hiccup had such expressive eyes, that they betrayed all the pent-up emotions he was trying to keep to himself.

"Of course I won't!" said Astrid. "Yeah, I'm staying right here for as long as I can." She knew that she would have to leave as soon as the healer got there, and besides, she had been wanting to check on Avril and see if her condition had changed. However, for now, she wasn't going to leave the dragon rider.

The growl of a Night Fury alerted Astrid. She turned around and watched as Toothless stood up, moving over to his rider and sniffing him worriedly.

"Yeah, he'll be okay, Toothless," said Astrid. She wondered why the dragon hadn't been effected as Hiccup and Avril had been, but that wasn't the most important thing on her mind at that moment.

She stayed there for longer than she wished to think about. Toothless was curled up at her feet, Hiccup sleeping, tensed, sporadic, and disturbed in her arms. He whimpered frequently, and she tried to get him back to sleep before he fully woke up. Every time he awakened, he seemed more scared than he had previously been, and Astrid didn't like it one bit.

She wondered what was taking the healer so long, until she heard the door open, and Valarie entered the abode, looking at Astrid with saddened eyes.

"Avril is okay," said Valarie. "She is unconscious still, but she is okay. I think she's breaking out of her shock. In a few weeks, she should be back to normal."

"Thank you, Valarie," said Astrid. She looked back at Hiccup. "I know I'm supposed to leave now, and let you do what you need to," she said, "and I will, just so long as I can come back tomorrow." It was already dark outside, night having fallen in that same hour.

Valarie smiled reassuringly, and then nodded. Carefully, as not to wake him, Astrid untangled herself from Hiccup's limbs and laid him back down on the bed, running her hand over his forehead before stepping away, making for the stairs.

"Astrid," Valarie called to the girl, and Astrid stopped, turning around to face the healer. "Thank you, Astrid," she said.

"You too," said Astrid, and then left.


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, so, I know that previous chapters have been focused mainly on Astrid, but I bet a few of you are wondering where some of the other characters are, like Stoick, or Snotlout, or Fishlegs, or the twins, or whatever. And so, this chapter will be focusing on Stoick, while the next chapter will be focusing on the other youths of the Academy. :) Enjoy! :D**

 **SOOOOOOOO...I haven't done this yet, but I think I'm going to. :) SHOUT-OUTS! :D YAY! :D**

 **neobendium: Sorry about those heartstrings. Watch out, because it's all downhill from here.**

 **Omegaman17: *looks at where you are on the floor* Hellloooooooo? *pokes you with a stick* And as for what's going on...I CANNOT TELL YOU! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! You'll just have to keep reading. Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: I'm glad! It's good to know I'm not the only one who likes seeing Hiccup so broken.**

 **Toothless801: Oh yeah. That thing's gonna be REAAAALLLL sorry it ever messed with Hiccup and Avril! As for how much longer this is going to be..I HAVE NO IDEA. There is a lot more I'm going to introduce, and more information about the mysterious beast that we're going to discover, soooo...stay tuned! :D And YES, I think I will make a chapter with Hiccup comforting Astrid. (IF all is well that ends well...) Thanks for the review! It means a ton to me! :D**

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Stoick was worried.

He had been there when Hiccup had come back with Avril, and at first he had been furious, but then his anger died when he watched how Astrid embraced her sister, and then shortly after, Hiccup. Although he was still mad at his son for leaving when he was supposed to be rounding people up to get in the Great Hall before the storm started, he was still proud of him for saving Astrid's sister.

And then Hiccup collapsed, falling unconscious, and Stoick panicked.

Ever since then, Stoick had been spending as much time as he could have at Hiccup's bedside, worrying over him, listening to the healer's instructions on what to do in case he woke up, but he never did. And so eventually, after days at Hiccup's side, he had to go tend to the village.

He was just walking back to his house that night, when he saw Astrid walk out the door, looking worried and sad. He knew what the girl was going through when it came to Hiccup, but he couldn't _imagine_ what it would have been like for her, with Avril in her terrible condition.

If Astrid saw the Chief, she ignored him. Or, at least she did until Stoick laid a hand on her shoulder. Then, she turned around to face him, her eyes shining with concern and fear.

"Did you see Hiccup?" Stoick asked her, and she nodded, dropping her gaze. "Is he alright?" the Chief asked.

Astrid shook her head. "He woke up for a few minutes, Stoick, but he was so...broken," she said. "I've...I've never seen Hiccup so...so distraught and terrified before."

Stoick was relieved to hear that Hiccup was awake, but it faded when Astrid finished her thought. Hiccup, terrified? That was something the Chief rarely saw in his stubborn son. Normally when he was scared, he would hide it with some sort of sarcastic remark and move on, but it didn't sound like he did that.

"I'm scared, Stoick," said Astrid. "Avril isn't really getting better, and...and neither is Hiccup. I don't...I don't know what I am supposed to do now, with them both...not gone, exactly, but...it's hard to explain."

"I understand, Astrid," said Stoick. Astrid looked up at him. "Thank you for taking care of Hiccup," he said.

"It's really nothing," said Astrid. "I know I don't really say it often, but I care about him. I don't want him to...to…" She didn't need to finish her thought, because Stoick already knew what she was going to say.

"Thank you, still, Astrid," said Stoick. "I appreciate it. You're a great friend to him."

"I try," said Astrid. "I should...probably go see Avril…" Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked back to her own house, leaving Stoick to enter his own, tense as he worried about at what he was going to find.

The house was silent, except for a little bit of rummaging coming from upstairs. Stoick could only guess that it was the healer, since she was expected to be there while Hiccup was in his state. Stoick held his breath as he walked up the stairs, skipping steps every so often as to get there sooner.

Hiccup was laying on his bed, looking loads more pale than he usually was. He was tossing his head slightly, whimpering in his sleep while the healer examined the long, deep gash on his stomach.

Stoick sat on a stool parked by the bed, looking first to Hiccup, and then to the healer. Valarie nodded to the Chief in acknowledgement before continuing to work on her patient in earnest.

"How is he doing, as a whole?" said Stoick, worry evident in his voice.

Valarie shook her head. "Bad, Stoick," she said. "He's underweight, dehydrated, and is suffering from these...I don't know what to call them, Stoick, but he wakes up crying, and according to Astrid, he's terrified each time."

"Do you know what is causing all this?" Stoick asked, feeling both scared for his son and heated with rage against whatever foul creature - man or animal - had done this to Hiccup.

"I don't know for certain, Stoick," said Valarie, "but I examined the gash more closely, and...I can determine that it was from a claw. Something scratched him...badly. The wound is nearing infection, Stoick, and there's not much I can do about it."

"What kind of claw are you supposing?" said Stoick. "A wild cat? A wolf? A...a dragon?"

"I...I can't say for sure, Stoick," said Valarie, her voice wavering slightly, "but...but by the looks of it...I'd have to say it was a dragon. But not a Berkian dragon. It's like from something I've never seen before. You see, people get scratched all the time by their dragons on accident, some worse than others, but none of them like _this_. By the looks of the gash the claws were wide, and thick, and strong. It can't be from any of the dragons we have here on Berk. It's a new species, Stoick, I believe, like nothing I've ever seen before in my whole life."

"What...what are you saying?" said Stoick, his voice rising as his anger grew. "Are you saying that...that there's a _beast_ running loose around this island, that is terrorizing villagers, and wounding my son!?"

"That...seems about right, actually, Stoick," said Valarie, "as much as I want to deny it, it sounds true. There...there is something out there, dangerous, not like the dragons we have known to befriend. By the way of the gash, it doesn't look like it happened on accident. It was intentional. There's...there's something out there, Stoick, and...and it doesn't want to make peace."


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, so actually, this is also focusing on Stoick. I really felt the need to write this chapter, and then put it into the story. Besides, it has Fatherly!Stoick, plus Father/Son bonding, and really, who doesn't love that? :) Enjoy the chapter! :D**

 **Oh, and thank you all for all the awesome reviews! I'll give you all shout-outs next chapter! Thanks for your continued support, guys! You don't know what it means to me! :D**

* * *

Stoick looked to the healer, and then glanced back at Hiccup. Seeing Hiccup - normally a person so strong, confident, and ready to take on action at any moment - in such a state was making him even more angry than he had even been before in his whole entire life.

"I'm calling a meeting tomorrow," said Stoick. "We'll discuss what is to happen concerning this...this _monster_ then. For now, though...what am I to do to try and prevent infection? What happens if he wakes up?"

"For infection, just make sure he doesn't try to move," said Valarie. "We don't want the wound reopening. If he wakes up during one of his... _attacks_ , for lack of better word, just try to keep him calm. Try to reassure him that everything is alright. If he mentions the creature... _monster_ , whatever you want to call it, don't shut him down. Talking about it could help. I don't know yet, though, but it could. Try to get him to drink some water. He is severely dehydrated as I said before, and he needs to get more fluids into his system if he's going to recover, but don't force it in him, and don't push him into it. He's very weak, and scared right now."

Stoick nodded. "And that's it then?" he said. "There's nothing else you can give him to help him get better faster?"

Valarie shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, "but there's not. Sleep is the best thing for him right now, but he doesn't seem to be sleeping very soundly." She looked at the whimpering, moaning boy on the bed before turning back to her Chief. "I really, _really_ wish there was something else I could do," she said.

"I know," said Stoick, "and thank you for all that you're doing. I really appreciate it, Valarie."

Valarie nodded, and then left the abode, saying she would be back in the morning to check back up on Hiccup. Stoick watched her leave, before he turned back to his son, just as Hiccup's eyelids flickered, as if he were trying to wake up, but was unable to at the same time.

After about a minute, Hiccup gasped, his eyes flying open, tears spilling from them a second later. A moment later, he registered his father next to him, and sobbed harder.

"D-Dad," he whimpered.

Stoick didn't know anything about comforting someone; he was the type of person that went for fighting and battling instead. That was the Viking way. Of course, though, Hiccup had never been the perfect image of a "Viking", either, which made Stoick have to change his ways.

Unfortunately, he still hadn't changed hardly at all, and so when Hiccup was hurting, he didn't know exactly what to do, or what he was expected to do.

Only two seconds passed before Stoick bent over, scooping Hiccup into his arms, allowing the boy to cry into his chest. Hiccup hugged his father as best as was possible, his sobbing and crying picking up dramatically.

"D-Dad, it was hor-horrible!" he said. "I-It w-w-was g-going to k-kill us all, and i-it…" He didn't finish, because another sobbing fit gripped him and refused to let go. Stoick didn't know what he was to do, so he just took to hugging his son as he continued to cry fervently. "I-it's st-still out there, D-Dad," Hiccup stuttered. "I-it's s-still coming...it's g-going to kill a-all of us."

"Do you know what it was, Hiccup?" said Stoick.

"N-no," said Hiccup. "I-I t-t-told Astrid i-it was a d-dragon...but D-Dad, I don't know! D-dragons d-d-don't n-normally want t-t-to...k-kill me, w-without g-giving me a c-chance..."

"I'm so sorry, Hiccup," said Stoick, and truly, he was. He was sorry that this happened. He was sorry Hiccup was in pain. He was sorry that that creature was still alive, wherever it was. He was sorry he felt so helpless, and unable to comfort his scared son, even a little bit.

"Would you like some water, Hiccup?" Stoick asked, and Hiccup shook his head. Stoick didn't push him; he remembered what Valarie had said, but he was still worried, and rather scared out of his mind onto what was wrong with his son.

A few minutes later, Stoick felt Hiccup's body go limp. When he pulled away, he realized that Hiccup had cried himself back to sleep, scared and terrified. Stoick held him for another moment before he laid him back onto his bed, pulling the blanket over him shortly afterwards.

Stoick was going to call a meeting, and discuss the matters of the monster.

And once they figured out how to do it, Stoick was going to make sure that _it died_. One way, or another. It was destroying Avril, making Hiccup suffer, and giving Astrid panic attacks because of what it was doing to her sister and best friend.

Stoick was angered, because of what it was doing to his son. He was quite certain that as soon as he saw it, he would kill it without a second thought otherwise. He would kill it without learning of its intentions. He would kill it without mercy, because that's exactly what it was doing to Hiccup and Avril.


	12. Chapter 12

**HELLO! So, I twisted my wrist just a few minutes ago, or something. AND I AM REALLY MAD BECAUSE NOW, typing takes me forever, and I can't play piano, either! AND RIGHT WHEN I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF LEARNING "A WHOLE NEW WORLD" FROM "ALADDIN"! DARN, I really wanted to work on that tonight...**

 **Oh well. Tomorrow! :D So, even though my wrist is telling me "NOPE!", my heart is saying "YES!" So, shout-outs:**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Oh yeah. You got that right. Careful, Stoick.**

 **Markiplier is My Senpai: We'll have to see. I'm not giving away any spoilers yet. :)**

 **midnightsky0612: I know! Poor everyone! :(**

 **BraveDragonof214: YEAH! YOU GO, BRAVE! *cheers you on and hands you more knives***

 **Silver Electricity: It's like, AAAWWWW, and then, AWWWWWW! :D**

 **Animals Rule: I might consider that sometime. It sounds interesting. :)**

 **IonitaMircea32: I know, right? I love it when he's all intense and determined, but then I get on my computer and write about him sick or hurt...WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!? :D**

 **Silverthornofriverclan: I know, but go HICCSTRID! :D**

* * *

Astrid paused outside her door, worried at what she would find. Then, taking a breath and gathering her courage, she walked inside her house and then into Avril's room, where the young girl was laying on her bed, unconscious while her mother and father stood around her.

"Is...is she doing any better?" Astrid asked.

"That's what the healer said," said her father, "but what do they know?"

Astrid's mother glared at the man, and he quickly refrained. "Of course," he said, "they do know a lot. Avril will be fine, Astrid."

"We don't know that," said Astrid.

Silence followed her statement, and as much as Astrid wanted to take it back, she didn't. She was right, and she knew it, along with her parents, and probably the whole rest of Berk.

"You two can go off and get some rest," said Astrid. "I'll...I'll stay with Avril."

"No, Astrid, we're fine," said her mother. "You're the one who needs-"

"If you're fine, which you're not, then I guess I am too," said Astrid. "Besides, I'm not getting _any_ sleep unless I do it here with Avril." She quickly stormed out of the room and to her own, grabbing first her blanket and then a pillow before stomping back into her little sister's room, spreading her supplies out on the floor. "I'll be fine here," said Astrid.

"Astrid, I know this is hard for you," said her mother, "but really, we're okay watching Avril by ourselves."

"But I'm not okay not watching her," said Astrid. "I'm staying here."

Neither of the Hoffersons argued with their daughter, only because they knew what Astrid was going through. They weren't going to leave, either, and since they weren't going to, then why should Astrid be any different?

And so, Astrid fell asleep on the floor, worrying about her sister, and then Hiccup, hoping beyond every shadow of doubt that they would both be alright in the end.

…

As much as he hated it, Stoick knew that, once morning arrived, he had to go take care of the village. He stayed by Hiccup's bedside all night, not sleeping, just making sure he was there in case something happened where Hiccup woke up in need of comforting. He didn't, though, and slept, albeit restlessly, through the night, and for that, Stoick was glad. It was good that he was finally sleeping. He needed it.

Morning came sooner than later, and when it did, Stoick was forced to leave his son's side to go take care of the village. Before he did, though, he made sure Toothless was watching Hiccup, which the Night Fury was, curled up around the foot of the bed. Stoick kissed his son's forehead gently, and then headed off to do his daily chiefing duties.

…

Astrid wasn't in the mood to leave the house, but she knew that she had to. She wanted to go see Hiccup again, while her mother and father were taking care of Avril. After a few hours at Avril's bedside - the little girl was still unconscious, breathing deeply in unnatural sleep - Astrid left the abode, leaving Stormfly to guard her sister just before doing so. Then, she trekked to the Haddock residence.

On the way, she bumped - quite literally - into Snotlout, who was walking with Hookfang in the direction of the Training Academy. Snotlout looked at her, and she looked back, until the boy finally finally spoke.

"So...how is Avril doing?" he asked.

Seeing Snotlout's caring side was a rather big thing for most vikings, but Astrid had seen that side of Snotlout quite often, so it came to her as no surprise. Besides, he really _did_ care about his friends, in which Avril was one of them.

"She's...unconscious," said Astrid. "But the healer says that in a few weeks, she should be back to normal, so...I guess that's good."

"Um...yeah, I guess so," said Snotlout. "Um...have you heard any news on Hiccup recently? Like, any new developments?"

"Not really," said Astrid. "Other than the fact that he's getting worse instead of better, is severely underweight, and dehydrated."

Snotlout stared at her. "Those are some pretty big things," he said.

Astrid nodded. She knew Snotlout was Hiccup's cousin, and she also knew that Snotlout _did_ care about Hiccup, probably more than he cared about any of his other friends, although he would never admit it. He was protective over Hiccup, too, although he rarely let people see it.

"I'm...actually going to see him right now," said Astrid. "But before I do...how are Fishlegs and the twins doing? What have they been up to? I don't feel like I've seen them recently, and when I did, I certainly didn't talk to any of them."

"They're holding up," said Snotlout. "Of course, it's not the same without you or Hiccup, so I've kind of took to running the academy while the two of you are out of commission…and don't get mad at me, because I was only trying to help!"

"I know you were, Snotlout, and I appreciate it," said Astrid, laying a hand on the other boy's shoulder.

"Yeah, well...wait, what?" said Snotlout suddenly, pulling away from her. "Are you _messing_ with me, Astrid?"

"Do you really think I would mess with you in times like this?" Astrid asked, not harshly, but not softly, either. She was shocked when she heard that Snotlout was giving into the thought that she was _joking_.

"Not really," said Snotlout.

"Well, that's good," said Astrid. "And I am serious, Snotlout. I appreciate your help more than you realize, especially with all this crazy stuff going on."

"Oh, well...you're welcome, in that case," said Snotlout. "Well, I guess I should go, um...run the academy! Wow, that sounds weird…"

"Yeah, okay, I guess I'll see you later, then," said Astrid. She and Snotlout parted, going in separate directions, Snotlout to the Training Academy, and Astrid to the Hiccup's house. She only hoped that he had improved since last she saw him.


	13. Chapter 13

**SHOOOOUUUUTTTTT-OOOOUUUUTTTSSSSSS! :D**

 **Guest: I know! I love that song, too! :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: GO GO GO, GANG! :D**

 **Silver Electricity: Thanks! :D**

 **Markiplier is My Senpai: You're not going to get many calm chapters with me. *rubs hands together***

 **midnightsky0612: Thank you! :D**

 **neobendium: Yeah. I like Snotlout when he actually thinks. I don't think he's an all stupid character. I think he can think for himself when he wants to.**

 **Silverthornofriverclan: KILL THE DRAGON! I never thought I would say that...**

 **xFaerieValkyriex: Yeah, I think that's what happened. My wrist got worn out from my piano playing, and probably my typing. But at least it wasn't my dominant hand, so I'm typing all this with one hand, which is irritating, but hey, I lose my mind when I don't update. :D Thanks for the advice, too! I'm keeping it wrapped and ice it whenever I can. It helps a lot. :D And poor Avril and Hiccup! I just want to wrap blankets around them...after I finish torturing them through my writing...ugh. I'm weird. I like seeing characters go through pain, and at the same time, I like seeing them all happy and healthy. I'm crazy. :P**

 **Toothless801: OOOOOOOHHHH, VIRTUAL POPCORN! *holds net out of window to catch all of it* Thanks! :D Yeah, I love piano. I self taught myself for two years, and I just recently got a piano teacher, so that's exciting. :) And thanks for the compliment on Snotlout's character. He's kinda hard to write sometimes, since we've never actually seen Hiccup get hurt in the TV series yet, and we haven't seen Astrid all freaked out or going through so much pain yet, so I don't actually know how he would react...but thanks! I always love seeing your reviews, and all the other reviews I get. They make my day. :D Thanks again! :D**

* * *

Astrid pushed the door to the house open, and instantly caught the scent of something boiling over the fireplace. It smelled like broth, which it probably was, if it was going to be for Hiccup.

Breaking herself from her thoughts, Astrid walked upstairs to the loft, taking care as she skipped steps as to arrive there sooner. Valarie was there, unpacking her things, presumably having just arrived. Gina and Rosie were by her side, waiting for her orders.

Hiccup was still sleeping, although he looked ready to wake up at any moment, tears rolling down his cheeks, his eyes squeezed shut as he whimpered and cried out softly.

The healer turned around, and noticed the new arrival of Astrid. "Morning, Astrid," said Valarie. "I was sure you would come here this morning."

"Of course," said Astrid, moving to sit on the side of the bed, her fingers tangling in Hiccup's messy, unkempt, sweaty hair. His whimpering quieted just slightly, and he subconsciously leaned into Astrid's hand. "Is there any improvement?" Astrid asked the healer. "Anything new at all, good or bad?"

"I don't know if there's good news, Astrid, but there's bad news," said Valarie. "His wound is infected now, and there isn't anything I can go about it. I can't drain the infection, because he hasn't been eating anything. His body isn't strong enough to heal itself, which is bad. It's really bad, Astrid. It's not a bad _infection_ , but I can't get rid of it, and because of that, it will only get worse, until eventually, it takes his life."

"WHAT!?" Astrid blurted.

"The next time he wakes up," said Valarie, "I'm going to have to get him to eat something, or else...he _will die_ , Astrid. The infection will kill him."

"No," said Astrid. "No, no, he can't die. Isn't there _something_ _else_ you can do!?" Valarie shook her head sadly, and Astrid felt her breath quicken. "There has to be something!" the girl cried. "It could be weeks before his body's nourished enough to take care of itself! What do we do until then!?"

"Try to keep him alive," said Valarie so calmly that Astrid was a bit taken back. Valarie sighed. "I'm doing _everything_ I _can_ , Astrid," she said in a pleading sort of voice. "But...but there's only so much I can do."

"I'm...I'm sorry for yelling," said Astrid. "I'm...I'm really thankful for what you're doing both for Hiccup, and for Avril. I just...I'm so worried about both of them. I can't lose either one. They mean so much to me, and to see them in so much pain...I'm sorry, it's no excuse, and-"

"It's alright, Astrid," said Valarie. "I don't blame you for your outburst. I certainly can't get mad at you for it, which I'm not, by the way. I know how hard this is for you, and I've seen many cases like this before. I'm used to being yelled at."

"I'm sorry, Valarie," said Astrid.

"Please, Astrid, you don't have to apologize anymore," said Valarie. "Now then, Rosie, go on and fetch a bucket of water from the well." Rosie nodded, and then ran off. "I'm going to wash the wound again. He's getting another fever."

"Is...is that bad?" said Astrid.

"If I can't get it down, yes," said Valarie.

Astrid and the others waited for Rosie to return, which she did in just seconds, carrying a small bucket of water in one hand. She handed it to Valarie, who set it beside her, and then took to undoing Hiccup's bandages once more. She had kept the wound clean and bandaged most the time, meaning she had to undo them and redo them frequently.

Astrid gasped at the sight of the gash. It was red and black; a clear sign of infection. It was inflamed and swollen terribly, with pus oozing out of it in a way that made Astrid's stomach churn.

"It looks bad," she gasped out.

Valarie nodded, dipping a rag into her water bucket before she began cleaning the wound. Hiccup whimpered, and Astrid put her hand over his soothingly, trying not to imagine the amount of pain he must have been in.

It took about five minutes before Valarie deemed herself finished, dabbing the area she cleaned to ensure it was dry before she applied healing salve to the wound. Hiccup visibly relaxed, his breaths evening out as Valarie rebound his stomach, the wound cleaned as best as was possible.

While Gina took to getting rid of the bucket, Rosie ran to get a new one, filling it with water and then bringing it back to the Haddock residence. Valarie dipped a new cloth into the clean water, and then laid it on Hiccup's forehead in an attempt to drown the fever before it spiked.

Not ten minutes after she did that, Hiccup groaned, his eyes fluttering for a few moments before they opened, falling onto each person in the room. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving, although he didn't start crying immediately as he had done previously.

It only took Astrid's tender, caring voice; "Hiccup?" before he started bawling. Astrid hated seeing Hiccup cry; it always made her heart ache to know he was in such pain to the point where he didn't even try hiding it.

"Hiccup, what's the matter?" Astrid asked gently. Behind her, she heard Valarie order Rosie to go get some broth, which the girl quickly ran off to do.

Hiccup stared at Astrid for a moment, before he spoke, finally.

"Astrid," he said, "I'm...I'm scared."

That was all it took. Astrid straddled the bed and lifted Hiccup to rest on her legs, one of her arms supporting his head while the other arm wrapped around his small, shaking frame. Rosie came back an instant later with a bowl of warm broth, and a spoon.

"What are you scared of, Hiccup?" Astrid asked. "What's hurting you? What's wrong?"

Hiccup swallowed hard, his breath sporadic. "The Gemsho," he whispered.


	14. Chapter 14

**UPDATE: OH MY GOSH, I DID THE WRONG CHAPTER. THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO POINTED IT OUT! I AM SO SORRRRRRRYYYY! :( :( :( Here's the right one! :D**

 **So sorry I didn't update yesterday, guys! I was busy, my wrist was sore...but here's chapter 14! I'll try to update again later on today...no promises, but I'll try. :) Shout-outs:**

 **BraveDragonof214: AAAAHHHHH TRIBUTE! :D :D :D :D :D THANK YOU! :D My reviewing system isn't working right now, but I read the new chapter! It was AMAAAAAZZZIINNNGGG! Thank you so much for doing that, by the way! I love it to death! Not literally of course, but...you know what I mean! :D**

 **Silver Electricity: YEEEEEEEEEEEES THROW SPIDERS AT IT!**

 **midnightsky0612: WHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT!? *Dalek voice* EEEXXXXXXXXXPLLLLLLLLLAAAAAIIIIIIIINNNNNN!**

 **xFaerieValkyriex: You will learn...IN THIS CHAPTER! :D**

 **Silverthornofriverclan: I hope he gets better soon, too. Poor Hiccup...**

 **sophhascoconuts: Haha, thanks! I'm trying to do better with my vocabulary. :D**

 **Toothless801: YES, HICCUP! I just want to pry his mouth open and shovel food into his mouth...not that it'll do him much good if he can't hold it down...ick. I don't know why I like doing this to these innocent characters. What is wrong with me. :P AND THE GEMSHO. *robotic gameshow host voice* HOW DOES HICCUP KNOW ITS NAME!? YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS CHAPTER! :D And I know what you mean about sometimes wanting to smash the piano. I feel like that a lot. I work so hard on a song, I can play it perfectly, and then...*hits wrong note* AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! XD Thanks for your review! :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Nah, they'll probably learn a bit more about it before they go for it. Hopefully...**

* * *

"The Gemsho," Astrid repeated, and Hiccup nodded, sobbing and crying still. "Hiccup, what is it?" Astrid asked tenderly.

"A d...d-d-dragon," Hiccup gasped out.

"How did you know it was a Gemsho?" Astrid asked. "I've never heard of that kind of dragon before. What is it?"

Hiccup shook his head, tears falling from his eyes. "It...it called itself t-t-the Gemsho," Hiccup sobbed.

"It...called itself," said Rosie. "But dragons don't talk!"

"Rosie, hush," said Valarie. She took Hiccup's hand and felt for his pulse, disliking and frowning at the sweaty feel of his skin. "What were you saying, Hiccup?" Valarie asked. If this was a way for them to learn more about what had done the horrible thing to Avril and Hiccup, then they needed to figure it out.

"Th...the d-d-dragon t-talked," Hiccup said. He grabbed ahold of Astrid's arm with both his hands as if it were the only thing keeping him alive, and the girl let him. "It...i-i-it t-told us t-that it was t-the Gemsho, and t-t-that it w-would k-k-kill e-everyone, a-and m-m-make them a-all suffer." He started crying again, harder than before.

"I d-d-don't know i-if it was a d-d-dragon or not," Hiccup stutted, cried, and gasped. "D-d-dragons d-don't t-talk...d-do they?"

No one answered him, too busy trying to hear him out, while Astrid comforted him with soothing nothings and clumsy arms, not knowing what to do.

"It...it f-found us at R-Raven Point," said Hiccup. "I-I'm s-s-scared, Astrid."

"Maybe we can train it," said Astrid.

Hiccup shook his head. "Dragons who kill without reason can never be trained," he said, and sobbed.

Valarie looked at Astrid, and Astrid instantly saw that she was to drop the conversation. Talking about it was only seeming to make Hiccup worse, and so that was the last thing they needed.

"Hiccup, we're going to give you some broth," said Valarie, taking the bowl and spoon from Rosie, scooping some of the liquid onto the utensil and holding it out to her patient. Hiccup shook his head, though, shying away from the spoon.

"Hiccup, you have to eat something," said Astrid. "It's the only way you're ever going to get better." Hiccup remained unmoved. "Hiccup, please," said Astrid. "We need you to eat this, and then that's it, okay?"

Maybe it was the pleading tone of her voice, or maybe it was Hiccup's hunger getting to him, but either way, Hiccup nodded, and then managed to consume the rest of the broth in the bowl. It took nearly ten minutes, since he caught his breath after each spoonful, but he did it eventually, and when he did, he seemed exhausted.

"You can go to sleep now if you want to, Hiccup," said Astrid, and Hiccup nodded, sinking into her arms and going limp as sleep finally took him.

"The Gemsho," said Gina. "A talking dragon...what does that even mean, Astrid?"

"I don't know," said Astrid, "but if Hiccup says that there is a talking creature out there who wants to kill us, then how can we tell him otherwise? This thing is effecting him and Avril. If he says something, we had better believe it."

At that moment, the front door opened, and Snotlout ran up the stairs. He gasped at the sight of his cousin, and then shook his head to knock him out of his stun.

"Astrid, we're holding a meeting at the Great Hall right now," said Snotlout. "You are requested."

Astrid knew that she should go; she knew more about the creature...or, the Gemsho, than anyone else (besides maybe Hiccup) did. Maybe her insight could help the other Berkians figure out what they were to do concerning the problem at hand.

"Okay, I'm coming," said Astrid. Snotlout nodded to her, and then raced back down the stairs, out the door, and towards the Great Hall. Astrid gently moved Hiccup back to the bed, laying him down and pulling the blanket over his body. She said goodbye to Hiccup (although he was sleeping) and the healers, and then headed off herself.

The other townsfolk were already at the Great Hall, and were mumbling to each other in hushed tones. It was quite clear that they all had a good idea concerning the reason the meeting was called; it had been somewhere around a week since Hiccup had saved Avril from the storm, so they were all well-aware of Avril and Hiccup's current conditions.

However, Astrid didn't think any of them knew anything about the Gemsho. Even if they had heard about it, they certainly didn't know what it was called, or the fact that it talked (which it did, according to Hiccup).

Once Astrid and a few other late Berkians arrived, the doors were closed, and the meeting began. Stoick stood up on the far end of the Great Hall, ready to start the meeting.

"I have called this meeting on the behalf of Hiccup, and Avril," he spoke, his voice booming and echoing across the vast building. "Hiccup woke up recently, and told me that...well, he called it a dragon, but he also told me that he wasn't sure." He took a step backwards as the crowd started mumbling again. "Do any of you have any information?" He glanced at Astrid, and she knew that it was her turn to speak up.

"I do," she said, and then stepped forward after Stoick nodded for her to do so. She stood in front of the Berkians, and spoke loudly. "Hiccup woke up again just a few minutes ago, before the meeting started," she stated. "He told me that the dragon is called...the Gemsho."

"How would Hiccup know that!?" one of the more ignorant villagers shouted. "It could have just been delirium, because of that gash!" People agreed almost instantly. Tons of the villagers had seen the wound Hiccup got when he landed all the while back, and word spread like wildfire on Berk.

"No, it's not," said Astrid, trying to choose her words carefully. The crowd died down eventually, focusing once more and Astrid and what she was going to say. "Hiccup knows...because the dragon spoke to him." People gasped, but no one spoke. Astrid took a deep breath, and then finished: "Hiccup encountered a talking dragon."

* * *

 **NOW, TO THOSE THO THINK THAT HAVING THE GEMSHO BEING A TALKING DRAGON IS LAME, I WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT I GOT INSPIRATION BY WATCHING "THE HOBBIT" AND SEEING SMAUG AND HEARING HIM TALK. I THOUGHT IT WAS AWESOME AND I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING LIKE IT, SO...yeah. I don't know why my capslock was on that whole time...eh. XD**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! Unfortunately, no shout-outs this chapter. I know, I'm sorry. :( NEXT chapter! :D I'm busy today, and I wanted to get at least ONE chapter out...**

 **I'll be gone all day today...I'm going bowling! I've never actually been bowling before, so it's exciting. :D I'll probably end up being terrible at it. :P So, enjoy chapter 15! :D**

* * *

"THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!" a villager shouted. "THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A TALKING DRAGON!"

The other Berkians started shouting in agreement. Stoick raised his hands to silence them all, but it only worked for so long before they continued.

"Our heir has lost his mind!" shouted another villager. "What are we to do now!?"

"We are without a heir!" someone else screamed.

"SILENCE!" Stoick ordered, and the crowd quieted almost instantly. "Hiccup is still the rightful heir of the Hooligan tribe, and _nothing_ is going to change that!"

"But Stoick, the lad's gone crazy!" shouted another villager.

"Listen to yourselves!" Snotlout shouted, stepping forward. No one expected him to speak, which resulted in their silence. "This is Hiccup we're talking about!" Snotlout paced in front of the villagers, glaring at each and every one of them specifically. "Hiccup, who saved your skins when you _didn't_ listen to him about the Red Death! The Hiccup who ended the three hundred year war between vikings and dragons! He was right about dragons, and when you didn't listen to him, people suffered! People _died_ in the battle against the Red Death, when you thought you were all high and mighty trying to stupidly take down the nest on your own!"

No one spoke, listening to what Snotlout was saying, their full attention on him.

"We're all scared right now!" said Snotlout. "I am too, but we can't let our fear cause us to see past the truth! If Hiccup says that there is a talking dragon, then you had better _believe_ we should trust him!"

"But what if it is delirium?" said a villager. "What if the lad really is going crazy?"

"Then there's no harm done!" said Snotlout. "The only way we are ever going to get to the bottom of this thing, is if we go out there, and take down this...Gemsho, as Astrid called it. I say we get a search party set up, and then head out, to find this monster!"

"Are we all in agreement?" said Stoick, stepping forward, standing in between Astrid and Snotlout.  
"Well, yeah," said a villager.

"I didn't hear you," said Astrid mockingly. "ARE WE ALL IN AGREEMENT OR NOT!?"

"YES!" the Berkians chorused. "WE AGREE!"

"Then we are gathering up a search party!" said Stoick. "Astrid, did Hiccup say anything about where to find the...Gemsho."

"He said it attacked him and Avril at Raven Point," said Astrid. "If that thing is still on this island, then Raven Point is our first target."

"Okay, then," said Stoick. "Who volunteers to be members of the search party?"

"I'm going for sure," said Astrid. "It's personal, and no one can stop me. This...this _monster_ is making my sister suffer. It's slowly and painfully destroying Hiccup. I deserve to be able to destroy this _beast_ for myself." Stoick nodded, and Astrid moved over to stand somewhere else.

"I'm going with her!" Snotlout stepped up and stood beside Astrid. "Hiccup is my cousin, and no one can hurt my cousin without having to pay the price." For emphasis, he drew his sword and held it over his head, the blade glistening in the candlelight that lit up the room.

"And us!" said Ruffnut and Tuffnut in unison, stepping forward, their spears swaying at their sides as they walked to stand beside Astrid and Snotlout. Astrid looked at them both, not expecting them to volunteer.

"Hiccup's my friend," said Tuffnut.

"And Avril is like a little sister to me," said Ruffnut. "We're going with Astrid and Snotlout as well. We don't care how dangerous it gets."

"Thanks guys," said Astrid as they stood beside her.

The villagers kept shouting their own responses, until there were fifty members of the search party in total, all standing in a straight line.

"Alright then!" said Stoick. "The search party will go out tonight, since that is when the Gemsho attacked the first time. You all have until then to make yourselves ready. Grab your weapons, supplies, or anything else you need, and meet up back here as soon as the sun sets. All other Berkians are dismissed, and do not need to show up tonight when the search party is sent out! Meeting dismissed!"

While people filed out, the search party members started gathering their supplies. Astrid found Snotlout, and approached him in a fast jog.

"Snotlout!" she called. He turned around, just as he was shouldering a satchel.

"What?" he asked, his voice flat and absent of emotion.

"I just...I just wanted to tell you thank you," said Astrid. "Y'know, for standing up like that when everyone was doubting me, and...well, it meant a lot. I'm sure that they never would have believed anything I was saying if you hadn't backed me up."

Snotlout shrugged off-handedly. "Well, you're welcome," he said. "And thank you, too."

Astrid raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You're thanking me?" she asked, and Snotlout nodded. "Why?" she asked. "For what? What did I do?"

"Just the fact that you've been taking care of Hiccup," said Snotlout. "Don't try to deny it, either, because I know you have been. I spoke with Valarie, and I saw you with him when I told you to come to the meeting."

Astrid shut her mouth, finding that it was hanging open awkwardly.

"Yeah, so...yeah, thanks for looking after him," said Snotlout. "I know, it probably sounds strange, me thanking you for taking care of my cousin when I really don't act like I care about him at all. So..." He looked up at her, and smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Snotlout," said Astrid, a bit taken back by the fact that he was thanking her. It was one thing for Snotlout to show his caring side, but it was a completely different thing for him to openly thank someone. Normally, he wouldn't ever actually thank a person for what they did. He would always brush it off, because he was too prideful. "Let's finish getting ready," said Astrid, changing the subject. "We have a Gemsho to find."


	16. Chapter 16

***takes deep breath***

 ***rolls bowling ball down lane***

 ***Split***

 **So, I went bowling yesterday...I GOT SPLITS NEARLY EVERY SINGLE TIME I ROLLED THE BALL! It was awful. The splits were. I had fun bowling. I got a few spares, no strikes, quite a few splits...but HEY, not bad for a first-time bowler, aye? :D**

 **Shout-outs:**

 **LunarCatNinja: Thanks! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: KILL THE GEMSHO!**

 **sophhascoconuts: GO SNOTLOUT! :D**

 **BraveDragonof214: I know, me too! Caring Snotlout...I really want to see that!**

 **silverwolvesarecool: *grabs paintball gun* Let's DO THIS! :D**

 **Silverthornofriverclan: Thanks! :D**

 **awal216: Thanks a bunch! The Gemsho is promounced "JEM-show". :D**

 **Markiplier is My Senpai: Bowling is AWESOME. I now love it! :D**

 **Silver Electricity: GO SNOTLOUT! :D *grabs spider gun***

 **Toothless801: Bowling is AMAZING. I can't believe I haven't been before yesterday. I had a lot of fun. It was so unfair, though, because my friend went to the arcade and did one of those "Wheel of Fortune" things to get tickets, and SHE GOT THE JACKPOT (500 tickets!). And then after that, the rest of us were all trying it, and when we didn't get anything, she stepped up and GOT 500 TICKETS AGAIN! It was SO unfair...XD Hahaha, _roll_ , as in bowling...oh dear...XD. I love puns. I really do. And bowling is right up my alley! Haha, get it? Alley, as in...bowling alley...hm...*clears throat* Sorry...Thanks for reviewing! I appreciate every review I get! :D **

**freyathefearless: You're welcome! Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **IonitaMircea32: I know what you mean...writing scared Hiccup is getting a little boring now...I don't think there will be much more of that in this fanfiction. Or, at least not for quite a few chapters, anyway. :) I really need to stop writing so much Hiccup!Whump...I should write a fanfiction where Astrid gets hurt by Dagur and Hiccup goes berserk on him...**

* * *

Astrid spent as much time as possible at her house with Avril before the search party was sent out. She knew that Hiccup needed to rest, and the healers needed time to tend to him without her there to interrupt them. So that resulted in Astrid landing at her little sister's bedside, her mother and father out to get some air.

Astrid sat with her sister, combing her fingers through the three year old's blonde hair, untangling the knots that had gathered there while she was sleeping. She still couldn't believe that Avril - her sweet little Avril - had been laid so low by the Gemsho. It made her so mad, she almost couldn't _begin_ to think of a punishment suitable for the horrible creature.

And Hiccup…

Hiccup was being _destroyed_ by the monster.

She couldn't help but think of him as she held him in her arms, listening to him cry with there being nothing she could do about it at all. She thought about the infectious gash that was slowly killing him, bit by bit, little by little, taking all the sweet time in the world.

Astrid was suddenly broken out of her thoughts when she heard Avril whimper. Looking to her sister suddenly, she saw that the girl had her eyes open, and was staring at Astrid intently.

"Avril!" said Astrid. "You're awake! You're awake, Avril!"

Avril stared at her a moment, before she opened her mouth, and spoke one single word:

"Run."

Her voice was flat, as if no emotion existed behind it. Astrid stared at her sister, wondering what was happening, and what her little sister was talking about.

"What do you mean, Avril?" said Astrid. "Run from what?" She already knew what it was; the Gemsho, but that didn't mean she didn't want to hear it from Avril herself. Maybe she could learn even _more_ about the Gemsho by doing this.

"Dragon...talking…" said Avril. "It wants us all...dead...run."

"No, Avril," said Astrid, smiling softly as she hugged her sister. "No, we're going to stop that dragon before it hurts you. You'll see. We're going to get rid of it before it even gets here, I promise. It will never hurt you again."

"B-but it talked," said Avril.

That was the same thing Hiccup had said. A talking dragon that wanted to kill the Berkians and everyone else in sight, possibly. It was beginning to get eerier, and Astrid didn't like it one bit. Any doubt she had about the Gemsho being able to talk vanished. Hiccup said it did, and Avril said it did. Two people with the same story, both being victims of the creature.

"Promise?" said Avril.

"Promise," said Astrid.

Avril would always trust her big sister to make everything better, and so she did once more, falling asleep in Astrid's arms. Astrid looked at the sleeping child for a moment before she laid her back down, brushed the bangs out of the girl's face for just a moment before leaving the house.

She knew that she should probably tell the healer that Avril was awake, and she left to do so, heading towards the Haddock residence, where she was certain the healers would be.

On her way over, she bumped into Valarie, who was on her way over to Astrid's house to check on Avril.

"Valarie," said Astrid. "Avril was just awake a few minutes ago. I was coming to get you."

"Did she speak?" Valarie asked, walking towards the house, her mind set. Astrid jogged to catch up with her.

"Yes, she did," said Astrid. "It doesn't seem like she's in her shock anymore."

"That's good," said Valarie. "Do you want to go visit Hiccup before you leave with the search party?" Although Valarie hadn't actually been in the meeting, word spread on Berk. Everyone, by now, knew of the search party and its members.

"If...if I can," said Astrid. "I mean, I know he's probably exhausted, and needs to sleep-"

"He is, and he does," said Valarie simply, cutting the girl off, "but I think seeing him would be beneficial to the both of you. Besides, if he wakes up, you seem to be one of the only people who can actually get him to relax and calm down. Am I wrong?"

"No, actually," said Astrid after just a moment of silence in which she used to think about her answer. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you when you go check up on Avril, though?" she offered as the healer continued to walk.

"No, I think I can manage," said Valarie. "You go see Hiccup." Then, she and Astrid went their separate ways, each to their own destination.

Astrid pushed the door to the Haddock house open, finding the main room vacant, while there was a bit of commotion going on upstairs.

Rosie and Gina were rewrapping Hiccup's stomach when Astrid made it to the top of the loft. They nodded to her in a way to let Astrid know that they realized her presence, and then went straight back to their patient.

"Is he doing any better?" Astrid asked.

"It's hard to say," said Rosie. "He woke up again just a while back, and we got him to eat some more broth, but he's still very weak. His infection hasn't changed a bit, not getting better, not getting worse, just staying the same as it has always been."

"It's hard to know what to do in these situations," said Gina. "We can't really treat the infection properly when his body can't handle it, but we can't leave the infection, doing nothing about it."

"He's strong," said Astrid. "He'll be fine, in the end. I'm going with the search party."

"We know," said Gina. "Valarie told us."

"You really think there's such thing as a _talking_ dragon?" said Rosie.

"Yes, I do," said Astrid. "I know, it sounds impossible, but both Hiccup and Avril said that they saw it. And I'm not _about_ to question it."

"You seem a whole load more confident than we are," said Gina. "Is there a reason?"

"Not really, I guess," said Astrid. "I don't know, actually." She glanced out the window, seeing the sun getting ready to set on the horizon. "I have to go now, before they leave without me," she said. "Take care of Hiccup."

"You know we will," said Rosie.

Astrid nodded to both of them in gratitude, and then left the house, running towards the Great Hall.


	17. Chapter 17

**Gemsho, Gemsho, nobody likes yo...**

 **YO. Hey, guys! How are you all doing today? I've almost finished Race to the Edge! I'm in the middle of the last episode right now. We were in the middle of watching it, and suddenly, the screen went black and said, "We are sorry, but there is a problem with this movie at the moment" or something like that, and my brother and I both shouted "DAAAAAAAARN ITTTTT!" at the same time, XD.**

 **I'll have to do shout-outs next chapter, unfortunately. My email isn't working too well right now. Stupid email...but I will do shout-outs next chapter for sure! Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and what not! Enjoy chapter 17!**

* * *

Astrid got there just as the other members of the search party arrived. She eyed the other forty nine Berkians, seeing as how they all had weapons, and were ready to use them against the Gemsho, when they found it.

Astrid stood next to Snotlout and the twins, watching as Stoick stood up in front of them to address the Berkians.

"I know it is normally not our way," said Stoick. "Since making peace with the dragons, we have never used the rule 'kill on sight.' But this is a different story. And so, if you do happen to see this Gemsho...kill it."

It might have sounded harsh, to anyone else, but not the Berkians. Not after they saw what the Gemsho had done to Hiccup and Avril. And so, they cheered in response, and then were sent out.

They left the dragons on Berk just in case the Gemsho got there while the search party was out. Although it might have seemed like a bad idea (and in Astrid's mind, it was), it was the safest thing for the remaining Berkians.

"You know," said Snotlout as he marched in line next to Astrid, heading towards Raven Point, "this is weird. We are being sent out to kill a dragon. We never do this."

"This is different," said Astrid, not even looking at the boy beside her. "This beast shouldn't even have the right to be called a dragon."

"Then what is it, then?" said Snotlout.

"I don't know," said Astrid. "It's not like I've seen it. But Hiccup and Avril have, and you know what's going on with them right now, as we're heading out."

"Of course I know," said Snotlout. "But how can a talking dragon traumatize a person like that?"

"Oh I don't know, Snotlout," said Astrid sarcastically. "A talking dragon that threatened to kill everyone they care about, who just so happens to still be alive as we speak, and-"

"Alright, alright, I see your point," said Snotlout. "But why?"

"Why what?" said Astrid. "Why do you see my point?"

"No, why does the dragon want to kill us?" said Snotlout.

"I don't know," said Astrid. "I really don't know."

They continued to march in silence, until they reached Raven Point. Then, one of the older members of the search party stood up in front of the others.

"We should split up into groups," he declared, and everyone listened. No one else wanted to take charge besides him, so it was unspoken that he was now the leader of the search party. "Five groups, consisting of ten people each. Does anyone reject?"

After a few seconds of thinking about what they should choose, everyone shook their heads. It sounded like a good enough idea, splitting into groups. It would help them find the Gemsho faster.

"Right then," he continued. "Split up into five groups of ten. It doesn't matter who is in whose group."

And so, they started lining up into five different sections, ten people each. Snotlout, Astrid, Ruffnut and Tuffnut ended up in the same group, along with six other Berkians much older than they were.

Once they were all ready, they took off in different directions, searching for any sign of the Gemsho dragon.

They searched for hours, not knowing exactly what they were looking for. Hiccup said that the dragon had been "darker than a Night Fury", but Astrid didn't really understand what all that meant. It could have meant a number of things; none of them good.

No one knew what the dragon looked like. How were they supposed to find something when they didn't even know what it looked like? It could have been small, while at the same time, it could have been huge. No one knew for certain, and no one could even _guess_.

"What are we looking for again?" said Tuffnut.

"The Gemsho," said Ruffnut, spinning around in a circle to assess the forest. "It's a dragon."

"Oh, well, okay," said Tuffnut. "We're trying to kill it, aren't we?"

"Yeah," said Ruffnut. "Yeah, we are."

"But we normally don't kill dragons," said Tuffnut.

"Were you listening to _anything_ the Chief said back at the Great Hall?" Astrid snapped, clearly irritated.

"I really try _not_ to listen," said Tuffnut.

"Pfft," said Snotlout, tossing his head and rolling his eyes in the most sarcastic way possible. "I could have told you that."

"Hey, guys, break it up," said Astrid. "We're here for one reason and one reason only."

"What's that?" said Tuffnut.

"You don't _ever_ pay attention, do you?" said Snotlout.

"Yeah...no, not really," said Tuffnut. "It often interferes with being crazy."

"Wait a minute," said Astrid, putting her hand back to silence her friends, meeting Tuffnut's chest, as he was the one walking in front. He, Snotlout and Ruffnut stopped instantly, their breath pounding in their ears as they looked around the forest, wondering what had caused Astrid to stop.

"I don't see anything," said Snotlout in a whisper after about ten seconds of listening to the silence spread over Raven Point.

"Shh, listen," said Astrid. She had heard someone; she _knew_ that she heard something. She didn't know what it was, but it was something, and it was dangerous.

"Astrid," said Ruffnut, but Astrid cut her off.

"No, there's something here," Astrid said.

They stood there with bated breath, until they suddenly heard a growl. As quick as possible, they moved into a formation, their backs to each other, drawing their weapons. Something was wrong. They could feel it.

Suddenly, an ice cold breeze rushed through the forest. The riders yanked their heads in that direction, but saw nothing. Then, the ground shook, and a loud _THUMP_ echoed through the forest of Raven Point.

"That didn't sound good," said Snotlout, and Astrid nodded. Slowly, ever so slowly, Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut turned around. Astrid and Snotlout gasped while Ruffnut screamed, Tuffnut following her shortly after.

"Is that...that…?" Snotlout blubbered, lifting a shaking hand.

"Yes," said Astrid. "The Gemsho."

The dragon roared.


	18. Chapter 18

**midnightsky0612: My thoughts EXACTLY.**

 **Guest: That's AWESOME. I need to finish it and write more what-ifs on it...**

 **BraveDragonof214: Seriously, Netflix! BAD TIMING!**

 **LunarCatNinja: YES. I just want that dragon DEAD!**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Dragons with grudges are dangerous... *shivers***

 **Connor285: Not for the riders...XD**

 **Silver Electricity: *grabs a spider gun as well* Let's do this.**

 **awal216: EVERY episode I've ever watched of the dragon series has left me wanting more. I don't know if I'm going to make it to December, when the next episodes are released...or, I think it's going to be December, since we get 13 episodes every six months...**

 **Toothless801: *buckles seatbelt* * I'm the AUTHOR of this and I'm excited! I don't know why. Writing always makes me excited. :D And CLIFFHANGERS! *drives off cliff* Well, at least I have my seatbelt...OH MY GOSH, THE OCEAN. *hits the water* Ick...that's what cliffhangers are, though. You get excited, you fall, and you land in an ocean of FEELS. FEEEEEEEEEEELS! THE FEELSIES ARE REALSIES!**

 **Silverthornofriverclan: Yaaaaaayyyyy. :D**

* * *

"Oh my THOR…" Ruffnut breathed. "What is that thing!?"

Astrid gasped at the sight of the dragon. It was huge, with a thin build, black scales, and long, blood-red horns. It had two sets of wings that were bigger than its body, along with claws at the end of them each. Its eyes were red, and glowing as if they were made of pure fire. It had long fangs curving out of its mouth that were longer than the dragon's massive claws.

Its claws were huge, almost purple, and glistened in the moonlight. Astrid was certain that one of those claws alone had the strength and the will to cut a human being into pieces with just one swipe and little to no effort at all.

"That…" Astrid gulped, "is the Gemsho."

The Gemsho looked at them all and then leaned dangerously close to them, sniffing each of them individually. Then, it pulled back, and hissed.  
"Humans," it said. "Fearful humans."

"Oh my gosh, Astrid, the dragon is talking," said Ruffnut.

"I know," said Astrid. "Hiccup and Avril were right." Of course they were right, but it was still rather hard to believe without seeing it for yourself. The dragon in front of them was _talking_ , its voice scratchy, thick, and abrasive.

"I can smell your fear," said the Gemsho. "It is strong."

"Well, _duh_ ," said Snotlout.

"Your fear makes you ignorant," said the Gemsho, sniffing Snotlout. "I know you are afraid, and I'm going to tell you that you're right to be so."

"Of course," said Astrid. "We're not _stupid_."

"Stupid, maybe," said the Gemsho, "and terrified...definitely."

"What do you want?" said Astrid.

"I want you to _fear_ ," said the Gemsho. "What more can a creature such as myself want?"

"What do you mean, 'a creature such as myself'?" Astrid asked.

"Of course!" said the Gemsho. "Humans don't understand."

"THE GEMSHO!" more Berkians shouted. Astrid and the others turned around, just as they ran at the massive dragon. The Gemsho roared in fury, slapping all six soldiers, knocking them out, all at the same time.

"Puny humans," the dragon hissed. "Now then…" He turned back to Astrid, Snotlout and the twins, "...where were we?"

Astrid and the others gasped, taking a short, quick step backwards. The Gemsho did the same, advancing on them slowly, keeping low to the ground.

"I sense your fear," said the Gemsho. "It is not hard to do so. I know what you are all afraid of."

"So what, then?" said Astrid, trying to keep her voice from wavering. "What do you do once you know their fear?"

The Gemsho laughed barkingly. "I use it against them," he said. "It is such fun, watching people suffer. Why, I just did it a week or so ago to two people trespassing in my forest. It was such fun to hear them scream."

"Hiccup and Avril," Astrid breathed. The Gemsho gawked and laughed, throwing its head back in amusement. "What did you do to them?" Astrid hissed, her voice demanding and harsh.

"I didn't do anything," said the Gemsho. "Actually...oh wait, yes I did. You see, I can smell a person, and learn their fears. As easy as that, as soon as they are either asleep or unconscious, they have visions of their greatest fears flash through their minds. When they wake up, they have full memory of it, and are usually panicked. For the younger ones, they normally fall into a shock while the memories flash in their heads, while as for older ones get them through coma visions, or dreams."

"You did this to my little sister, and to my best friend," said Astrid. "Where did you get the _gall_!?"

"It doesn't matter now," said the Gemsho. "I know what you all fear, both least and greatest, and I can and will use it against you-"

"Wait," said Astrid, cutting him off. "First, tell me this."

"Yes?" said the Gemsho.

"What did you do to Avril?" said Astrid. "The little girl."

"Oh, nothing major," said the Gemsho. "The girl is afraid of the dark, so what I do is take many things, and put them in the dark. I manipulate their thoughts to think it is real, and when they wake up, they are terrorized."

"How long will it last?" said Astrid. "Will it ever go away?"

"Yes, it will," said the Gemsho, "when I am dead. You see, I control their minds, almost, when it comes to what they see in their unconscious or sleeping states. The only way to truly free them is to destroy me, which you will never do. As for a time period...well, if you do so happen to destroy me, it will take about two weeks before her mind is cleared, because she is so young, and it is easy to forget things. But of course, you're never going to destroy me."

"What about Hiccup?" said Astrid. "He was in a coma, and woke up around the same time Avril did. What did you do to him? How long until he gets back to normal?"

"Oh," said the Gemsho. "Him. You see, he has seen so many things in his life, that scaring him through visions is easy. It was hard, picking the right thing to use against him, but once I found it, I just went to town with no problem at all. It was simple, terrifying him."

"You didn't answer my second question," said Astrid. "How long until he's back to his normal self?"

"Oh, that," said the Gemsho. "You see, he is older, is he not? Meaning, if you somehow manage to destroy me...it could take months, or years, even, before he is fully okay again."

"I've heard enough," said Snotlout. "We will kill you, right here, right now."

The Gemsho laughed. "They all say that," he said, "right before I win. Get ready to see your greatest fears brought into reality!" Before the Berkians could do anything else, the Gemsho swiped at them with its tail, and they were knocked into unconsciousness.


	19. Chapter 19

**OKAY, EVERYONE, LISTEN UP.**

 **This is everyone's fears brought to life, one by one. None of them are actually happening, but still, it's their fears. I will go one by one with Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. I call these "Fear Sequences" for no reason whatsoever. Okay, so on with this very eerie chapter!**

* * *

 _Snotlout's Fear Sequence:_

He was standing in the middle of Berk. The town was in flames, people running and screaming everywhere. Snotlout spun in a circle, assessing the area, until he spotted a heap of Monstrous Nightmare curled up on the ground, just but a few yards away.

"HOOKFANG!" Snotlout shouted, rushing towards his fallen dragon. Hookfang was laying, motionless and still, not breathing at all. Snotlout collapsed at his dragon's side, feeling tears sting his eyes.

"Hookfang…" he breathed. "No...no, Hookfang no…" His dragon was dead, but he didn't know why, nor did he understand how this tragedy had occurred. He turned around, the village still in flames, people still running, trying to put out the fire while also trying to seek shelter.

The scene shifted, and suddenly, there were Outcasts everywhere, fighting Berkians, shouting war cries and fighting to the death. Snotlout looked back at Hookfang, but the dragon was no longer there.

When he looked ahead, he had just enough time to see his Father appear, fighting an Outcast. Snotlout drew his sword and rushed to help him, but he was too late. The Outcast pulled his sword back, and ran Spitelout through.

"DAD!" Snotlout shouted, running towards the fallen body of his father. By the time he got there, though, it was too late once more. Spitelout was dead.

"No, Dad no!" Snotlout shouted, shaking his father's shoulder. "The Outcasts are here, Dad! We have to fight! DAD!" The fallen soldier didn't move. Snotlout felt tears push past his eyes, until he was bawling over the body of his dead father.

* * *

 _Ruffnut's Fear Sequence:_

She was running through an ice cave, glancing behind her only a few times. Tuffnut was running beside her, Barf and Belch running in front of them. The two Thorstons fought to keep up, but they weren't fast enough.

Suddenly, out of no where, a large dragon appeared in front of them, and they skidded to a stop. Barf and Belch stood in front of them, hissing and growling, guarding their riders. The dragon suddenly attacked, and the two creatures fought.

Meanwhile, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were looking for an escape, when they heard their Zippleback suddenly roar in pain. They turned around just in time to watch the other dragon fling their own across the cave, where it smacked into the wall and sank to the ground, lifeless and breathless.

"NO!" Ruffnut shouted.

Oops.

Her voice alerted the other dragon of their hiding place, and it sprang into action, jumping towards Ruffnut. She shielded her face with her hands, but the hit never came. Instead, she opened her eyes to find that Tuffnut had jumped between herself and the dragon to protect her.

Unfortunatly…

"TUFFNUT!" Ruffnut shrieked at her lifeless brother. Tuffnut didn't move. Ruffnut could no longer control her tears, and she cried over the loss of her dearest brother. Suddenly, she heard a growl, and looked up just in time for the dragon to pounce her…

* * *

 _Tuffnut's Fear Sequence:_

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were running in between two cliffsides, rocks falling around them, piling in heaps in different places. He looked at Ruffnut running behind him, and then refocused his attention on the area in front of him.

More rockslides occurred around them, and they ducked and dodged to keep from getting smashed. Suddenly, as they were still running, a huge mess of rocks and dirt tumbled down from the cliffside, straight towards the two dragon riders.

Tuffnut jumped to the side and pushed himself to the ground, his hands behind his head. Once the rockslide subsided, he opened his eyes, lifted his head, and looked around for Ruffnut.

He looked where she had just been standing, and gasped.

"SIS!" he shouted. There was a pile of rocks a rubble, obviously covering Ruffnut, crushing her, and killing her, if she wasn't already dead. Tuffnut tried to move the rocks away, but they wouldn't budge.

Ruffnut was dead.

* * *

 _Astrid's Fear Sequence:_

She was at Avril's bedside, holding her sister's hand. The effect of the Gemsho had been quite different, resulting in the three year old earning a deadly, infectious gash across her stomach.

In other words, she wasn't expected to live.

All of a sudden, Avril's hand went limp, her breaths stopping altogether. Astrid gasped in shock and fear, panicking for just a moment, before she remembered.

 _This isn't real_ , she thought to herself. _This isn't real._

When she opened her eyes again, Avril's hand was replaced by a battleaxe, and she was no longer in her house at all. She was standing in the middle of a battlefield, soldiers fighting and weapons clashing around her.

She spun around in a circle, her eyes looking at each soldier, before they finally fell on Hiccup. He was fighting Alvin the Treacherous, his sword coated in dirt, his face smudged and sweaty as if he had been fighting for hours.

She watched, wanting to race forward, but her legs didn't work. She only stood there, holding an axe she couldn't use, watching her friend fight against her enemy, neither one looking ready to give up.

 _This isn't real,_ Astrid told herself silently. _None of this is real. This isn't real. It isn't real, it isn't-_

"HICCUP!" she screamed. Alvin had stabbed him with no mercy, leaving Hiccup to crumple to the ground in a heap. Astrid finally found herself able to run, and she did, dropping her axe carelessly to the ground as she ran towards the fallen dragon rider.

"VICTORY IS OURS!" Alvin yelled. "HICCUP IS DEAD!"

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted at him as she finally made it to his side, crashing to her knees, grabbing his shoulder and rolling him over roughly. He moaned in pain. He was still alive; but...not for much longer…

Astrid felt tears sting her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. No, this wasn't real. This wasn't real. Still, though, it hurt. She gathered Hiccup into her arms and cradled him gently, trying to keep herself from crying.

Hiccup glanced up at her, and barely smiled before his eyes slipped shut, his form going limp in one terrifyingly sudden moment. Astrid stared at him, her breath quickening as realization dawned on her.

 _This isn't real,_ she said to herself, her tears finally falling. _This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real._

Why was it, though, that the more she tried to convince herself, the more doubtful the truth became?

* * *

 **Okay, in case the "Fear Sequences" didn't make it obvious: Snotlout is afraid of losing Hookfang and his father when he could have prevented it. Ruffnut is afraid of Tuffnut and their Zippleback sacrificing themselves for her safety, and then also death herself (yes, Ruffnut is afraid of death. It's a headcanon of mine). Tuffnut is afraid of Ruffnut dying, and of course, Astrid is afraid of watching Hiccup die a slow and painful death, along with the fear of losing Avril.**

 **Also, the "Fear Sequences" are a little hard to understand without a set explanation: They are very straight forward and real. When going through a "Fear Sequence" it feels as though you are** _ **literally**_ **there. Like, it's so realistic, you almost can't believe it's not actually happening.**

 **Creepy.**

 **In case you are all wondering, we** _ **will**_ **see Hiccup's "Fear Sequence" in a later chapter, I just don't know when. Should be interesting. And no, I'm not telling you anything about it at all until it comes (he he he). :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey, guys!**

 **Okay, so, due to a rather nasty review last chapter, I have something to say.**

 **FISHLEGS DID NOT GO WITH THE SEARCH PARTY. I REPEAT, FISHLEGS DID NOT GO WITH THE SEARCH PARTY. I thought about it, but then, I wanted to focus mainly on Astrid, the twins, and Snotlout. Before you accuse me or call me names (and this is in general, not to one person), PLEASE READ THE STORY A LITTLE BIT CLOSER. **

**On the other hand, thank you ALL for your reviews! I appreciate them SO much! :D Onwards and upwards, my friends! We travel...ON DRAGONBACK! :D Enjoy chapter 20!**

 **...Wow, twenty chapters. I didn't know I would get this far on this story. XD**

* * *

 _This isn't real…_

Astrid shot into a sitting position, glancing about her for any signs of the Outcast battle. None. It wasn't real. No, it had been her fears brought to life. That's all it was. Nothing more than a realistic nightmare.

Looking around at her surroundings, she found herself, once again, at Raven Point. Then again, she had never really left it. It was just her fears taking control of her thought process.

She saw that she couldn't find the Gemsho anywhere. It must have run off somewhere as to keep from being sighted by the other Berkians. Brilliant. So there was a rogue dragon on the loose, people were unconscious left and right, and the search party was failing.

 _What would Hiccup do?_ Astrid found herself wondering as she stood up and brushed her skirt off, recollecting her discarded battleaxe. Hiccup was always the one thinking of brilliant plans to get them out of their problems, and so naturally, when he couldn't help them, she would try and think about what he would do were he in her situation.

Across from her, Snotlout bolted upright with a scream. Astrid instantly ran over to him, thinking of what her first move would be. Snotlout was shaking uncontrollably, whispering words Astrid couldn't make out.

"He's dead!" Snotlout suddenly shouted. "Hookfang and my Dad are dead!"

"No they're not!" Astrid shouted. Snotlout shook his head. Desperate, Astrid grabbed his shoulders and shook him back and forth. "They're not dead!" she shouted. "It wasn't real! It was just your fears! It wasn't real! Snotlout! Snotlout, listen to me!"

"They're dead!" Snotlout yelled.

"I know it seems like that," said Astrid, "but it didn't happen! I want you to repeat after me. 'Hookfang and my Dad are alright.'" Snotlout shook his head. "DO IT!" Astrid ordered.

"Hookfang and my Dad are alright," said Snotlout in a whisper.

"Say it like you mean it!" said Astrid.

"HOOKFANG AND MY DAD ARE ALRIGHT!" Snotlout shouted.

"There you go!" said Astrid. "They're alright, and so are we! We're all alive." She suddenly thought of something she hadn't before, and gasped. "This is what happened to Hiccup and Avril!" Astrid shouted to Snotlout. "They let their fear take control of them!"

She didn't blame either one of them; Avril was three years old. She was afraid of anything, really. A hurt dragon, a bleeding paper cut, the dark...it wasn't hard to scare a three year old.

Hiccup, however, had seen more in the eighteen years of his life than most Berkian soldiers saw in _eighty_ _years_. Hiccup killed the Red Death, lost his leg, faced Dagur the Deranged, watched people he cared about go to war, lead the Training Academy, was captured by Alvin the Treacherous...it was hard to scare him, but if the Gumshoe Dragon really brought people's worst fears back to them, then Astrid didn't want to _think_ about what Hiccup was going through.

"Okay, okay, brilliant," said Snotlout. "So, we're dead, in other words."

"No," said Astrid. "No, Snotlout, we're not. Don't let your fear take charge; it's what the Gemsho wants. That's the first thing."

"You make it sound so easy," said Snotlout.

Astrid winced, remembering her nightmare; Avril dying, Hiccup bleeding to death in her arms… "It's not easy," said Astrid. "It's not easy, no."

"You're supposed to be encouraging me," said Snotlout, "not making it worse."

"I'm not trying to make it worse," said Astrid, and really, she wasn't. It just came out like that, and besides, it wasn't her fault the Gemsho took people's greatest fears to use against them.

"Of course you aren't," said Snotlout sarcastically. "Of course."

"Hey, I don't see _you_ trying to do anything beneficial," Astrid snapped.

"What's there beneficial for me to do?" Snotlout returned.

Ouch.

She averted her gaze to the darkened forest around her, her eyes scanning for any sign of the Gemsho. She and Snotlout both sat there alike, Snotlout staring straight up into the starry sky while Astrid searched the forest eye-level to her. There was nothing, though, silence engulfing the eerie setting, making it even more creepy.

"Nothing," said Snotlout. "It's like it never even existed!"

"It has to be here somewhere," said Astrid. "It didn't just disappear!"

"Who knows what this dragon can do!" said Snotlout. "We already know it can manipulate our minds. Why can't it disappear!?"

"NOT HELPING," said Astrid. "Oh come on...come on...what would Hiccup do…?"

"Probably something so _insanely_ stupid that it actually fixes our situation," said Snotlout.

As much as Astrid wanted to deny it, that was _exactly_ what Hiccup would do. His plans were often so stupidly brilliant that they just barely managed to squeeze them out of even the tightest of situations. However, Hiccup wasn't there to think up any ideas, leaving Astrid and Snotlout to wonder just what they were going to do concerning the Gemsho, and all the rest of their problems.

A few feet away, Ruffnut and Tuffnut both woke up at the same time with a shrill cry, almost as if their minds were in sync. As soon as they regarded each other, they rushed forward, one hugging the other in brotherly and sisterly comfort. Astrid didn't know what they had experienced during the fear-driven nightmares pushed onto them by the Gemsho, but she could only guess that it had to do with one or the other dying or getting hurt in some horrible way.

It suddenly occurred to her why Hiccup had woken up the first time with a shriek of Astrid's name. During his fear sequence, he must have seen something happen to her, or else he wouldn't have been so worried as it came to her leaving him.

"Is everyone okay?" Astrid asked. Ruffnut and Tuffnut both managed to nod, while Snotlout did the same. "Okay, then," said Astrid, rising to a stand. "We need to find that dragon. If we don't…"

She knew what was going to happen if they didn't. The next time they fell asleep or unconscious, the Gemsho would take control of their dreams again, showing them their greatest fears.

If that happened, then they were never going to be able to take down the Gemsho.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey, guys! I hope you all liked last chapter. The Gemsho is _creeeeeepy_. KILL IT. KILL IT WITH FIRE, GANG! **

**Enjoy chapter 21! :D**

* * *

Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Snotlout got to their feet, approaching Astrid, their weapons swinging at their sides, their hands and legs shaking like an autumn leaf blowing in the wind, holding onto the tree by a thread.

"Okay," said Astrid, sheathing her axe and clapping her hands together once to get their complete attention. "Does anyone have any ideas?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Okay, well, we need to find the Gemsho either way," said Astrid. "There's no other way to go about it." As she spoke, she paced in front of her three friends worriedly, twiddling her fingers as a nervous habit. "The only question is, how do we find the Gemsho?" She stopped in front of Snotlout, silently asking him if he knew what to do.

"I don't know," said Snotlout.

"We could set a trap for the Gemsho," said Ruffnut. "How else do you capture a dragon, but with a dragon trap?"

"Oh that's brilliant," said Snotlout sarcastically. "Who here is smart enough to build a dragon trap?"

"Snotlout, now is _no time_ to be turning the catapult at Ruffnut," said Astrid. "Okay...ideas. Any ideas at all. We need ideas, guys! We can't just go to war like fools without a plan!"

"We started the search party as fools without a plan," said Snotlout. "Why is this any different?"

"Guys, start thinking," said Astrid. "What would Hiccup do?"

"He would...probably look where the Gemsho last was and try to track it that way," said Tuffnut hesitantly.

"Right!" said Astrid. "That's brilliant! Come on, let's see if we can't get some information." They raced to the spot in which the Gemsho had once been standing and then knelt down, looking at the deep claw marks engraved on the forest floor.

"It had wings," said Snotlout. "Huge wings. We don't even know if it's on Berk anymore."

"Oh, it is," said Astrid. "It likes tormenting people, remember? And I have a theory that it can't torment people unless it's relatively close to them."

"You have a _theory_?" said Snotlout. "Theories don't always work-"

"It's a hunch," said Astrid.

"Well, at least she has something, Snotlout," said Ruffnut, "whereas you're just standing there with your mouth hanging open as if there were no tomorrow."

"Ruffnut, we can't do with insults right now," said Astrid. "We have to work as a _team_."

 _We are a team. Everyone has a role. No one person is better, or more important than the other,_ Hiccup's words flashed through her mind. When he had said them, she and the others had laughed, but now, she was beginning to see how right he really was.

"Okay," said Ruffnut. Astrid looked at her, not expecting her to have agreed so easily and quickly. "Then what do we do?"

"We need to start by finding the Gemsho," said Astrid. "And from there...we just need to try our hardest to destroy it."

"Well, how do we find it?" said Snotlout. "These tracks aren't going to help us, since it was probably flying-"

There was a sudden shrieking sound that cut Snotlout off, which caused all of the riders to turn around and stare into the direction from whence it came. It was a shrieking sound that didn't sound human; actually, it didn't even sound _dragon_. It was a dull sound, though, yet painfully noticeable all the same.

"Did you hear that?" Astrid asked the people behind there, and they nodded in unison, although the girl was no longer looking at them. Then, through the shrieking sirens, came a whisper.

 _Come, little children…_

Astrid and the others gasped, instantly lifting their weapons and moving into a formation, standing, their backs to each other, their weapons in front of them, ready to be used.

 _Come on…_ the whisper said. _Don't be shhhhhhyyyyyy_.

"I don't like it," said Ruffnut, shaking her head violently as she took a step back, suddenly feeling very helpless, her spear seeming to weigh a hundred pounds. "I think it wants to kill us."

"It...it sounds like...the Gemsho," said Astrid.

"Well isn't that just the icing on the cake," said Snotlout. "The Gemsho wants to eat us. Moreover, it will probably _enjoy_ eating us."

 _Come little children…_ the voice calling out again said.

"What do we do?" said Ruffnut.

Astrid inhaled sharply as the shrieking siren continued, the whispering ringing in her ears like an endless record. "We're going to find out what it is," she said, a determined grin flashing across her face as she took a confident step forward. Behind her, Tuffnut gasped.

"Wait a minute…" said Tuffnut. "We don't go _towards_ the creepy scary sounds!"

"Yeah we do," said Snotlout, walking forward to follow Astrid's lead. "We always do."

Tuffnut stared at him for a moment, until he groaned. "I _hate_ that about us!" he said, stomping a foot before following his friends, Ruffnut coming in behind him.

"Astrid," said Snotlout, "I just really hope you know what you're doing." He paused when she didn't respond. "Astrid…?" The girl sighed, her steps faltering only slightly. " _Do_ you know what you're doing?" Snotlout asked.

Astrid stopped altogether, thinking about Snotlout's question. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered what she was _thinking_ , trying to take down the Gemsho with only the help of a few, measly Berkians who were just as scared as she was. She didn't know how she was going to actually _kill_ the Gemsho. All it had to so was swipe her with a single claw, and it was goodbye Astrid Hofferson.

She sighed, turning around to face her friends. Snotlout looked scared, which was a big deal, since he never looked even _frightened_. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were standing side by side now, their shoulders pretty much touching as they looked to Astrid and awaited her answer.

Astrid took a deep breath, wondering if she should be truthful regarding their situation. At length, Fearless Astrid Hofferson sighed, and spoke one single word that she would forever remember and dread:

"No."


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey, guys! Thanks for being patient, and thanks for being AWESOME! :D Enjoy chapter 22! :D**

* * *

They advanced slowly, the whispering voice of the Gemsho leading them onwards. The calls never slowed or stopped; they constantly got louder the more the youths walked. Snotlout followed, almost touching Astrid's heels while Ruffnut and Tuffnut walked directly behind them, their shoulders brushing against each other as they moved.

"Gotta plan yet, Astrid?" said Snotlout.

Astrid shook her head in response, her mind still focused on finding the Gemsho. She heard Snotlout groan, but disregarded it an instant later. The _last thing_ she needed was to be focused on Snotlout's bellyaching.

They walked on, until they came to a cave. Pausing in front of it, they listened intently, until they heard it again; the same, persistent whisper, only louder than it had ever been before.

 _Come little children…_ the voice hummed, almost sweetly.

"This is so weird," said Ruffnut, stepping forward, almost as if in a trance. Astrid instantly put her hand forward to stop the girl from walking on.

"No, it's a trap," said Astrid. "The voice is meant to lure us in. It's how the Gemsho gets its victims. Instead of hunting, it produces a shrieking, groaning noise that brings its prey to _it_."

"Right," said Snotlout. "So the question is...what are we doing here?"

"This is the only way we're going to get rid of the Gemsho," said Astrid. "This is where it lives. We need to kill it."

"I'll just as soon leave that to you," said Snotlout, taking a step backwards. "This is so creepy."

"I know," said Astrid. "We _all_ know."

 _Come little children...come on...come to me…_

To Astrid's terror, Tuffnut started walking forward. Ruffnut hooked her arms around her brother to hold him back, and Tuffnut shook his head.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"It's the siren," said Astrid. "Block it out. It wants us to go in."

"Well, if we're not going to go in, why are we standing around here?" said Snotlout.

"We _are_ going in," said Astrid.

"I don't get you!" said Snotlout. "You tell us not to go in and then say we're going to go in ourselves?"

"No, don't be _lured_ in," said Astrid. "We need to keep our minds to ourselves. Remember, the Gemsho manipulates your fears into making you think they're realities. If we can fight that, then destroying this monster of a dragon won't be a problem."

"Great," said Snotlout. "So, we are going to try and kill a talking dragon by walking into its lair when it _wants us to_. Your plans of survival are _terrible_."

Astrid didn't respond. "We're going in," she said. "Right now. Are you all ready?"

Although it was clear that none of them were, they still managed to nod. Astrid nodded in response, turned towards the cave, took a deep breath, and headed inside, consumed by the darkness. Snotlout and the twins followed her, glancing about them as if expecting the walls to come to life and devour them.

"Okay, so we made it inside," said Snotlout. "What now?"

"Be careful," said Astrid. "Don't die."

"Great," said Snotlout. "Now we're _all_ inspired."

From in front of them came a hiss. The riders took up their weapons, holding them in front of them as the Gemsho showed itself, sniffing each of the riders with a different gleam in its eyes.

"Splendid," it said. "You are _terrified._ "

Astrid couldn't stop her shiver of fear. She would never be able to get over the fact that this dragon could speak. She knew that, even if she did manage to kill it, there was promising she wouldn't have nightmares about it.

"You came," said the Gemsho. "Well, of course, everyone does. Humans are so easily tricked and fooled by such simple-"

"We came here," said Astrid, standing her ground and taking her axe up, holding it so tightly that her knuckles were white, her fingers red, "not because of your lure, but because we chose to."

"Well, in that case, you are even _more_ ignorant than I expected," said the Gemsho. "Humans are _hilarious_ , and you four are _especially_ so."

"I've heard enough," said Snotlout. "Why don't we just kill it now?"

"You're brave," said the Gemsho, "for a _coward_."

"Don't listen to it, Snotlout," said Astrid. "Don't let your guard down."

"Clever," said the Gemsho, "for a human. I quite often wonder what it is like to be one of you, so blissfully unaware of the situations at hand...HA. But...I think we've finished our little game now."

"Game? What game?" said Astrid. "People are _suffering_ because of you, and you call this a _game_?"

"Well, it's a start," said the Gemsho. "Especially with all your search party members…you know, I took their weapons." Astrid looked behind the dragon, just in time to see a glint of metal. Okay, so the search party was weaponless. Brilliant. "Now then...shall we?" the Gemsho said. It crouched low to the ground, and then pounced.

"DUCK!" Astrid screamed, and the riders dropped to the ground. The Gemsho turned around, and growled.

"You fear me," it said, and attacked again.

"Split up!" Astrid shouted. "It can't follow all of us!"

They didn't need to be told twice. They ran in different directions, the Gemsho watching them with amusement. Naturally, it went after Astrid.

Astrid hid behind the mess of weapons taken from the search party, holding her axe close to her as if it were her lifeline. The Gemsho snuck towards her, and she closed her eyes, awaiting its fatal pounce.

"You fear me," it growled once more. "Good."

 _You're failing everyone_ , a part of Astrid's mind told her. _You're failing your friends, your island...your little sister who always looks up to you. You're failing Hiccup and Avril…_

Astrid's eyes shot open, and she grabbed the closest weapon from the pile; a crossbow. Then, she threw it at the Gemsho, smacking its skull. The dragon recoiled with a roar, pawing at its head with a groan of agony.

Astrid took her chance, and ran. However, the Gemsho recovered quicker than she expected, its tail flying at her, wrapping around her ankle. Astrid shrieked as she was pulled into the air, hanging upside down, eye level with the Gemsho. She dropped her axe, listening it clatter to the ground. She was weaponless, staring at a dragon who wanted her for diner.

"ASTRID!" she heard Snotlout shout at her. She looked at him, just as he pulled his sword arm back. "WATCH OUT!" He lunged forward, the sword leaving his hand. Astrid closed her eyes as Snotlout's thrown weapon cartwheeled through the air, meeting the Gemsho's tail. The dragon shrieked in pain, releasing Astrid instantly as it clawed at its wounded tail.

Astrid managed to angle her fall so she didn't land on her head, instead landing flat on her back, the air getting knocked out of her lungs. She couldn't move for a moment as she watched the Gemsho rip the sword out of its tail, green blood rushing from the wound.

"HOW DARE YOU, PUNY HUMANS!?" the Gemsho shrieked. "I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"

"ASTRID, RUN!" Snotlout yelled. Astrid shook her head, knocking herself back into the present as she jumped to her feet, recollecting her battleaxe as she watched the Gemsho lunge at Snotlout.

Snotlout slashed at it with his sword, catching the Gemsho off guard. The dragon roared as a gash appeared on its leg, created by the Jorgenson. Just before it attacked the boy, Ruffnut and Tuffnut jumped in from behind, taking the dragon by surprise as they screamed in fury and assailed the monster.

"STOP!" the Gemsho shouted angrily. "ALL OF YOU! STOP BEFORE I KILL YOU!"

"Nothing stopped you from hurting my friends," said Astrid. "So why should you be able to stop us from hurting _you_!?" She knocked the flat of her axe against the Gemsho's head, and it wailed, spreading its wings and rushing out of the cave.

However, just running it off wasn't enough.

Astrid looked to the side, and saw the crossbow she had thrown. Mind made up, she dropped her weapon and took up her new one, racing outside, followed closely by Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout.

She aimed the crossbow up at the dragon as it took to the sky, and then found herself hesitating. Maybe it was wrong to kill it without giving it a fair chance. Maybe she shouldn't...no...maybe...wait…

 _Dragons who kill without reason can never be trained,_ Hiccup's words flashed through the girl's mind. The Gemsho was fleeing. It was now or never. So, with a deep breath, her heart pounding in her ears, Astrid let the arrow fly.


	23. Chapter 23

**So sorry I made you all wait a few days for this chapter. I was working to update "I'm Your Brother!" and I forgot about this story for a while. And I left you on an awful cliffhanger, too...so...here's chapter 23! I hope you all enjoy it! :D**

* * *

Astrid stood there for a moment, her vision seeming to go in slow motion as she watched the arrow tear through the wind. For a second, she was worried she hadn't aimed properly. The Gemsho was moving so fast, that that single arrow was the only chance she would ever have of freeing her friends from the bondage of fear the murderous dragon held them all in.

However, the arrow struck the dragon's stomach, and the creature shrieked; a loud, piercing sound that made Astrid and the others fall to their knees, clasping their hands over their ears. As it finally subsided they looked up to watch as the Gemsho struggled with the arrow prodding its abdomen, until it finally crashed to the ground, silence following the moment.

For a few minutes, no one said anything, listening to the sudden silence that seemed louder than their pounding hearts and deep, heaving breaths.

"Did we just…?" Snotlout asked breathlessly, pointing to where the dragon had once flown. "Did we just... _kill_ a _dragon_?"

Astrid nodded hesitantly, the situation finally catching up to her. "At least I did, anyways," she said, still catching her breath. "I don't know if you guys were dragged into it or not."

"Yeah...we were," said Tuffnut, staring off into space, his facial expressions unreadable. "That was…"

"Don't say cool," said Astrid, "because that was anything _but_ cool."

"So...should we...go to the crash sight?" Snotlout offered. "Y'know...just to make sure the dragon is actually...dead?"

It was so weird, speaking of killing a dragon and ensuring its death, but Astrid still nodded, and lead the way, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Snotlout following her closely, taking their weapons, using great caution should the Gemsho still be living.

It took them roughly ten minutes before they made it, and once they did, they saw the Gemsho laying on its side, the arrow still deep in its scales, the ground stained green from the dragon's blood. Astrid and the others stared at it in shock for just a moment, before they realized the startling truth.

It was breathing.

The Gemsho was still alive.

"Oh man," Ruffnut muttered, shaking her head as she took a step backwards, copied instantly by Tuffnut, who did the same.

The Gemsho's eyes shot open, and the riders shrieked, jumping back a step as the Gemsho regarded them with an evil gleam in its eyes. Then, suddenly, the eyes full of anger were changed, replenished by fear and terror. It skidded away from Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Snotlout as best it could with its leg slashed, tail stabbed, and arrowed abdomen.

"MERCY!" it cried, covering its face with one of its paws, its jagged, curved claws retracting. "Have mercy on me, please!" it pleaded pathetically. "Get rid of the arrow, please! Let me live! Save me!"

"Oh, so you can what?" Astrid snapped, holding her axe a little tighter so that her knuckles were white, her fingers almost blood red. "Make other people suffer? Destroy the lives of even more Berkians?"

"No!" the Gemsho lamented desperately. "I want to live! Please save me!"

"You are a monster," Astrid spat the words out as if they were venomous. "Why should we save you after all you've done?"

"PLEASE!" the Gemsho whined. "Please, don't harm me further! I fear you, I really do, I _fear_ you! Please help me! I'm suffering!"

"Oh, and what of the people you made suffer?" said Astrid. "Avril, Hiccup...what about them? Where's their help?"

"PLEASE! HELP ME!" the Gemsho pleaded with Astrid and the riders. Astrid felt heated with rage, her blood boiling with anger as she remembered all this unforgiving creature had done to her friends. Her little sister, Avril; her best friend, Hiccup, slowly dying from the deep, infected gash the Gemsho created. The monster of a dragon didn't deserve even death. In Astrid's mind, it deserved something far worse.

She took a step forward, her fingers drumming her axehandle, just slightly.

"Astrid," said Snotlout, and she froze, turning back around to face the boy who called her name. "This isn't how we do things," he said. "Just let it die on its own. You don't need to do anything else."

"Hiccup is _dying_ because of this animal, Snotlout," said Astrid in a voice that was silently daring the Jorgenson to argue with her. "Are you siding with it now?"

"No," said Snotlout determinedly. "But you don't need to do anything else. Let it die slowly."

"NO!" the Gemsho screamed. "End my life! Make it quick, if you aren't going to save me! It hurts! IT HURTS! Help me! Save me! Help! Please! I beg of you!"

Astrid shook her head, taking a step backwards to stand in line with her friends. "No," she said, shaking her head more violently. "A creature like you doesn't deserve life. A creature like you doesn't hardly deserve a punishment such as _death_. You made my little sister suffer, and you're killing one of my dearest friends. What punishment do you deserve?"

"MERCY!" the dragon shouted again. "Any one of you, help me! End my misery! Put an end to my suffering, please!"

"Yeah, not happening," said Ruffnut. "Never."

"I agree," said Tuffnut. "No one can get away with hurting _my_ friends."

"No one hurts my cousin," said Snotlout. "And those who do have to pay the price."

"You have _no right_ to do the things you have," said Astrid. "Where do you get the _gall!?"_

"I didn't mean it!" said the Gemsho. "Forgive me!"

"You said it yourself," said Snotlout. "In your horrid, sick mind, it is _fun_ to watch people suffer. Why should you plead?"

"PLEASE!" the Gemsho cried, its voice shriekingly terrifying. "Please save me…" Its voice suddenly trailed off, lowering dramatically before it stopped altogether. Its head lolled limply on the ground, its eyes glazed over, no light or life in them. Astrid and the others looked over the body of the dragon, and came to the same conclusion.

The Gemsho was dead.

The nightmare was over.

For most of them…


	24. Chapter 24

***dodges axes and swords thrown at me***

 **OKAY OKAY I'M SORRRRRRY!**

 ***dodges one last hammer***

 **THANK YOU! Okay, so, sorry I haven't updated this baby in a few days. I was busy with...well, another story. I finished that story, though, so I should have a bit more time to work on this one...**

 **OKAY OKAY OKAY, I HAVE A JOKE! Here goes: why did the hipster burn his tongue?**

 **Answer: 'Cause he drank his coffee before it was cool.**

 ***puts on sunglasses* *spins in a circle* *tips fedora* *dodges another hammer***

 **Okay, I know, that was bad. :P Here's the chapter! :D**

* * *

"Right then," said Astrid, turning from the dead dragon to her three friends. "We should find the search party, tell them that we beat the Gemsho, and then get back to Berk."

There were no words needed to be said in agreement; they were more than excited about leaving Raven Point, heading as far away as possible from the dead body of the Gemsho. They headed back to the center of Raven Point, where the search party had started looking.

There were Berkian soldiers, but not many of them; ten. One of the groups, Astrid figured. They were gazing around blindly, looking for weapons they didn't have.

"Hey!" Snotlout shouted. "We're gathering everyone up again! The Gemsho is dead!"

They all turned and looked at him with confusion.

"What do you mean?" one asked. "The Gemsho is _dead_?"

"Yes," said Astrid. "We shot it clear out of the sky with a crossbow arrow. It's dead. We have to gather the men and then get back to Berk."

The villagers cheered, and then ran off to look for the other search party members. Astrid turned to Snotlout and the twins and sighed.

"Well, we did it," she said simply. "We killed the Gemsho."

…

Once the men of the search party had been reassembled, they trekked back to Berk, mumbling to each other about the Gemsho and its killers, saying how relieved they were that the dragon was now gone forever. It was hard to believe that the Gemsho was gone, out of their lives, never to return.

No one was complaining, though, quite relieved for that fact.

They walked to the village, met by the villagers who had stayed behind. They gathered around the fifty Berkian Search Party members, each shouting different questions, all at the same time.

"Where are your weapons!?"

"Did you destroy the Gemsho!?"

"Is everyone alright!?"

"Hey, hey!" the "leader" of the search party shouted, rushing forward to try and silence the crowd. They quieted themselves, listening intently to what he was going to say.

"The Gemsho is dead!" he shouted. He gestured to Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. "These dragon riders killed it!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, people shouting and congratulating them for their victory. As they celebrated, Astrid managed to slip away, unnoticed by the villagers, and her friends. She was going to go see Avril, and then Hiccup.

She ran to her house, pushing the door open and rushing to her little sister's room. She found Avril, surrounded by her mother and father.

She felt a smile crash over her face as she realized that Avril was sitting up, and smiling. She was smiling.

"Avril!" Astrid cried, rushing towards her little sister and hugging her. Avril hugged her back, and Astrid actually felt herself tearing up. She released Avril and held her by the shoulders.

"Astrid!" said Avril. "You got back!"

"What happened, Astrid?" said her father.

"It's over!" said Astrid. "We killed the Gemsho! It's gone, Avril! We did it!"

Avril gasped, a smile crossing her face. "I knew it!" she shouted, launching herself at her sister again and hugging her. "I knew you would!"

The Gemsho had quite an effect on Avril while it was alive, but now, since it had been destroyed, it seemed to have never taken toll on Avril at all. Of course, the Gemsho said that it was bound to happen, since Avril was younger, and she was bound not to remember hardly anything.

However, it hadn't said the same thing about Hiccup…

"I'll be right back, Avril," Astrid promised. "I need to make sure Hiccup is okay."

"Okay!" said Avril, the three year old smiling like crazy. "I like Hiccup! He's crazy!"

Astrid wasn't quite sure what to say to that.

"Be back soon!" she called over her shoulder as she raced back outside. Shutting the door behind her she started running straight towards the Haddock residence. She was surprised and relieved that Avril was doing so better, and she hoped that it was the same with Hiccup.

…

 _Hiccup's Fear Sequence:_

He was walking on an island, smoke covering it like a thick fog, a musty stench hanging in the air, along with ashes and little, tiny specks of fire. As he walked, he soon found himself wondering what island this was.

Then suddenly, he passed something that made his heart skip a beat, his breath quicken, and body tense.

It was the Dragon Training Academy, pieces of the walls destroyed and crumpled into small heaps of dust, dirt and debris.

Then...in that case, this wasn't just "an island."

This was Berk.

And it was in ruins.

As he walked through the streets of the destroyed, abandoned plaza, he glanced around, wondering what had happened. He was slowly growing terrified; what was this? If it was a dream, well, it felt too real. No dream was supposed to feel that real. It felt as if he were _literally_ in the ruins of Berk.

Then, he stumbled across a body. Pausing slightly, he felt his breath quicken when he caught sight of blonde hair, spiked skirt and…

 _No._

"Astrid," he said as he raced towards her, stopping when he reached her side. He stared at her for a moment; her blue eyes hidden by closed eyelids, her face deathly pale and unmoving, smudges of dirt almost covering her face.

It was at that moment that Hiccup fell to his knees next to the girl, his heartbeat pounding in his chest until he could hear it. He felt lightheaded, suddenly unable to breathe as he stared at the body of Astrid Hofferson.

"Astrid," he said, crawling towards her almost pathetically, unable to register the truth. "Astrid, you can't be…" He paused as he leaned over her, and then pressed his ear to her chest.

Nothing.

"Astrid...Astrid stop!" he yelled at her, shaking her desperately. "STOP IT! GET UP!" Nothing happened.

As the realization finally set in, he stood up and stumbled backwards, landing flat on his back.

"It's not real, just wake up," Hiccup whispered to himself. "Wake up, you moron. Wake up…it's just a nightmare...she's fine...she's fine...she's-"

"Dead," another voice answered for him. Hiccup sat up, his eyes darting to the source of the voice. Once he finally found it, he gasped. The Gemsho dragon stood, as if it had just appeared there suddenly without actually traveling.

"The girl is dead," it said. "So is everyone else who lived here. I killed them all, human. I killed them _all_."

Hiccup shook his head. "No," he said, "No, no...this isn't happening...no."

"Well, I guess you are right," said the Gemsho. "I haven't killed _you_ yet." It stood up to its full height, and then lunged.

The scene changed just before the dragon met him on. Hiccup was standing in front of a dragon that looked specially like...Toothless.

But wait a minute…

Toothless was backing him up against an ice block, the Night Fury's pupils narrowed into slits as he snarled.

"Toothless," said Hiccup. "Why are you doing this? What is this?" There was no doubt; this was Toothless. It had the tailfin and everything. But why was it backing him up, looking ready to fire a plasma blast…?

"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup cried, but the dragon did nothing. "No, NO! Toothless, no!"

As the dragon opened its mouth to fire, Hiccup's world went black. When he opened his eyes again, he glanced towards the ice, now splintered and in heaping chunks.

That wasn't all, though.

Stoick was laying on the ground, the ice covering him.

Hiccup didn't move for a moment, the realization too shocking. First Astrid, and now his Dad? No...no, it couldn't have been happening.

Hiccup blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw the Gemsho. He was in a dark room, but he could see the colors of the Gemsho perfectly, as if it were glowing.

"I'm coming for Berk," it said. "I am coming for Berk. I am coming for you. I will kill all of you Berkians with no mercy. I will destroy each and every single one of you, one by one, right before your eyes. Starting with... _him._ " Toothless suddenly appeared, in chains and ropes. The Gemsho stood over the dragon, and swiped it with its claws.

"NO!" Hiccup shouted.

* * *

 **HAHAHAHA, CLIFFHANGER! I told you all I would give you Hiccup's Fear Sequence. Just so everyone knows, Hiccup is afraid of losing Astrid, his island, his Father, Toothless, and the Gemsho (yes, Hiccup is afraid of the Gemsho). This was the vision that Hiccup kept seeing every time he closed his eyes. It would go on repeat, over and over and over again. Stay tuned for the next chapter! :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**GUYS, I'M SO SORRY I DIDN'T UPDATE YESTERDAY. I WAS VERY BUSY WITH...STUFF. AND LIFE. LIFE IS BUSY. But you know what they say. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!**

 **But of course, unless life also gives you sugar and water, your lemonade's gonna be awful...**

 **UGH, okay, I'm random. Sorry. I'll do shout-outs next chapter, I promise. My Doc manager's having difficulties at the moment. But yes, and I'll try my best to get another chapter out tonight, WITH shout-outs. :D Thank you all for reviewing! I dare say this story's done yet...**

* * *

Astrid reached Hiccup's house, rushing up the stairs an instant later. Valarie was the only healer there, who, at the moment, was washing Hiccup's infectious wound.

"Valarie," said Astrid, and then glanced at Hiccup, crossing the room and sitting down on the edge of the bed. She glanced up at the healer with worry in her eyes. "Is he getting better?"

Valarie shook her head. "Not really," she said. "He's eating a little bit, at least, but he's still not putting on weight. His wound is still infected pretty badly, Astrid. He's not really as badly dehydrated as he had been before...but he's still very weak."

"We killed the Gemsho," said Astrid. "It's gone."

"I heard the commotion outside," said Valarie. "I figured you had." Astrid stole a glance at Hiccup's gash, and then quickly averted her gaze. No, she didn't need to look at it more than a quick look. Just from that, she could have said confidently that it looked worse than it had before.

"What do we do about the infection?" Astrid asked. "There has to be _something_."

Valarie shook her head. "We really just need to keep doing what we're doing and hope that he improves," she said. "He's strong, Astrid, with willpower and stubbornness. I'm sure he'll be alright, in the end."

"But who knows," said Astrid, sounding like a child. "You don't understand, Valarie. You can't just tell me what I want to hear. Tell me what I should hear. Tell me the truth. Does he have a chance?"

"He has a chance," said Valarie, "but I must admit, is his body doesn't get stronger fast, it's a slim one."

Astrid nodded after a moment of letting the shock sit in. She felt Hiccup's forehead, and then looked at Valarie.

"He has another fever," Astrid said.

Valarie nodded. "It's been happening more frequently recently," she said, dipping a cloth in a bucket of water by the bedside and then handing it to Astrid. She took it from the healer and laid it on Hiccup's forehead. "They normally don't last for very long," Valarie continued. "Plus, they're easy to break."

"I don't understand why there's nothing we can do," said Astrid. She hated feeling powerless; she was a warrior. She wasn't used to being useless and helpless, especially towards something like an infection.

"It's an interesting infection," said Valarie. "It's not really getting worse with what I can see, but it's not really getting better, either. When he gets stronger, I could probably drain the infection...but I don't know when that will be."

Before Astrid could speak again, Hiccup started mumbling. "No…" he said. "No...Astrid, no…"

Astrid looked helplessly to the healer to see if she had an answer.

"It's happened once, too, earlier," said Valarie. "He said your name a few times, screamed, and then woke up. I don't really know what's causing it."

"The Gemsho," said Astrid. "This could be an aftereffect, or one last vision before they stop, but the Gemsho told me that it takes fears and uses them against people. And so if he's afraid of me dying, the Gemsho will show him images of me either dying or dead."

"Clever," said Valarie. "And rather creepy."

Hiccup shot awake, sitting up in his bed with a shout of, "NO!" before he cried out in pain, falling backwards. Astrid caught him before he could hit his head against the headboard, holding him in an upright position with his head on her shoulder, her hands across his chest.

"Hiccup!" Astrid said almost without thinking about it. Hiccup didn't respond, panting as he tried to get his breath back. Astrid didn't push him, either. She could feel his heart hammering against his ribs, along with each and every one of his shuddering inhales and exhales.

Valarie took to rewrapping Hiccup's stomach at that moment, working quickly as to finish hastily. Once she was done, she rolled Hiccup's shirt back down over his abdomen and took a step back, clearing her supplies and repacking them.

"Astrid…?" Hiccup said, his voice raspy and barely audible.

"Yeah?" said Astrid.

"Did you do it?" Hiccup asked her hesitantly.

"Do what?" Astrid replied.

"I told him about the search party," said Valarie. Astrid instantly looked up at her as she continued; "He woke up earlier calling your name, and was wondering where you were."

"Oh," said Astrid, and then turned back to Hiccup. "Yes, Hiccup, the Gemsho is gone," she said. "It's gone, forever, Hiccup."

"Mmm...good," Hiccup mumbled, his eyelids flickering. "Is everyone okay, though? No one got hurt? Everyone got back safely?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Astrid said. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Well, I've definitely been better," Hiccup said, and winced. "Actually, I guess I've been a whole not worse now, too."

"Um, yeah...don't remind me," Astrid said.

"Yep," said Hiccup slowly. "Like the time we went sledding during avalanche season?"

"That was trouble," Astrid said. "It took us four days to finally dig ourselves out."

"Or remember that time we went skydiving off Stormfly?" Hiccup said.

"I'm pretty sure I told you _not_ to remind me," Astrid said.

"Well...I suppose you did," said Hiccup offhandedly. "Never mind. Forget everything I just said."

"Easily done," Astrid said. She hesitated, remembering what the Gemsho had said. "Are you shaky, or anything?" she asked. "Nervous? Scared?"

"Well, yeah," said Hiccup. "But it's better now that I know the Gemsho is gone. I'll probably have nightmares about it for the rest of my life, though."

"It'll get better," Astrid promised. "You know, for all you've been through, I'm impressed you're still standing."

"Um...I'd really hate to break it to you, Astrid," said Hiccup, "but I'm not standing. I'm sitting, leaning against you because I can't sit up on my own-"

"You know what I mean," said Astrid. "It's a metaphor."

"I don't like metaphors," said Hiccup. "They're confusing. And rather irritating..."

"I'm going to get you some broth," said Valarie, and then left the room.

"She's been doing that every time I wake up," said Hiccup. "Is there a reason?"

"Well, yeah," said Astrid. "You're underweight."

"Of course, but that's natural," said Hiccup. "I know ninety pounds isn't exactly what you would expect of someone my age-"

"No, Hiccup, I mean...you're _severely_ underweight," said Astrid. "You lost a ton of weight; weight that you need if you're going to recover properly."

"Oh," said Hiccup, and fell silent for just a moment. "Yeah, I really hope this gash heals up soon...it really kind of hurts."

"Like, how bad?" said Astrid. "Scale of one to ten?"

"Um...like a four," said Hiccup. Astrid gave him an are-you-serious? look, and he groaned. "Okay, more like an eight," he said. "You happy now?"

"Eight, huh?" said Astrid. "Well, when the healer gets back, you eat."

"Is that an order?" Hiccup prompted.

"Of course it is," said Astrid as if it were obvious. "Problem?"

"No, not at all," said Hiccup. "So demanding, though…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"


	26. Chapter 26

***Western music plays in background***

 ***blows hair out of face and looks ahead from underneath fedora***

 **Ah...my worst enemy...**

 ***tumbleweed rolls across dusty road***

 **...Procrastination...we meet again...for the final time!**

 ***grabs squirt gun* YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

 **Sorry I didn't update again yesterday, guys! I just remembered that we still have a bit of a problem to deal with...and you will learn just what that problem is in the next chapter. This chapter's more of a filler. Inspiration for this story has kind of flown out the window, but I know last chapter wasn't really much to write home about...it'll get more interesting, I promise. I might even make it over 30 chapters. Not sure yet, but I might. I'll try to.**

 **Shout-outs:**

 **IonitaMircea32: Ha, whoops. My bad. XD 90 pounds...oh gosh. I'll have to go back and fix that in the chapter. I agree. UN-realistic. :) And the FEELSIES are REALSIES. There will be more to come...I might even break 30 chapters. :)**

 **LiviLovesDragons: I'm glad you liked the chapter! And don't feel bad for laughing. Hiccup _is_ hilarious. :D**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Or is he...? WHOOPS was that out loud?**

 **silverwolvesarecool: I'm glad! :D**

 **neobendium: Yup. True that. :D**

 **BraveDragonof214: Aww, yes. I love sleepy Hiccup. I want there to be an episode of Race to the Edge where he just exhausts himself and ends up acting really goofy. :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Yeah. It's about time he feels better. :)**

 **Carly Marley: Well, I suppose, sick or not sick, Hiccup will always be sarcastic. XD I love his sarcasm. He's hilarious. :D**

 **Silver Electricity: Haha! I love Hiccup. :)**

 **midnightsky0612: Yeeeesssss...**

 **Toothless801: WHO DRINKS STRAIGHT LEMON JUICE? SERIOUSLY, WHO!? Not that there's anything wrong with it. I just can't do it. :) I like lemon juice in water and then adding a little spoonful of sugar, but lemon juice plain...? *takes sip* *eyes widen* *spits it out* I don't think so! :D I love writing banters between Hiccup and Astrid. You would not BELIEVE how fun it is to write about these two. Seriously, it's just...so, so fun. Maybe that's why I ship them so hard. Because they're PERFECT for each other. :)**

 **Dria Haddock II: Here is your update! :D**

 **SylviaHunterOfArtemis: Agreed! I ship them so hard. :)**

* * *

Once the healer returned, Astrid helped Hiccup lean against the headboard, where Valarie then handed him a bowl of broth, which he ate in a matter of minutes. Afterwards, Valarie told her patient and Astrid goodbye, saying that she was going to come back in a few hours to check up on the wound again.

Shortly afterwards, Hiccup fell asleep again, and Astrid left him to rest, walking back towards her own house to see her sister again. When she pushed the door open, Avril was reading a book, laying on her stomach on her bed with the book opened in front of her. She was fingering the corner of the page, looking up when she heard Astrid close the floor.

"Big Sissy!" Avril shouted, diving into Astrid's arms. Astrid hefted her little sister up so they were at eye level, and kissed her cheek. "I can't read!" said Avril, almost happily. "The words look so funny when I don't know what they are!"

"I'm sure they do," said Astrid, and then set the girl back on the ground again.

"Did you talk to Hiccup?" Avril asked, nearly jumping up and down. Astrid nodded. "What did he say?" Avril questioned. "Is he okay?"

"He seems to be doing better," said Astrid.

"Good!" said the three year old, clapping her hands together. "I love Hiccup! He helped get me back to Berk!"

"Good for him," said Astrid, "because I would have killed him if he hadn't."

Avril's eyes widened in terror. "You wouldn't!" she gasped.

"No, actually, I wouldn't," said Astrid.

"Good!" said Avril. "You scared me!" She paused for a moment. "No one really told me what happened to him," she said quietly. "Did he get hurt?"

"Yeah," said Astrid. "Yeah, he did."

"How?" said Avril. "It was the Gemsho, wasn't it?" Astrid nodded. "Did he get hurt because he was saving me?" Astrid nodded again. "Oh no," said Avril, turning around, her back to Astrid. It only took a moment before Astrid realized that her sister was crying.

"Avril…?" said Astrid. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so rude!" Avril cried, spinning around to face the older girl. There were tear streaks staining her cheeks, along with more big, salty tears running from her eyes. "It's all my fault!"

"Avril, it's not your fault," said Astrid. "You were unconscious when it happened."

"I don't care!" said Avril. "I was the reason he was out there in the first place, and now it's my fault he's hurt!"

"Avril, Hiccup wanted to go save you," said Astrid. "No one made him do it. Besides, there was no way I was going to be able to stop him. I know he wouldn't have ever changed his decision, even if he knew that he was going to get hurt like this."

Avril nodded, wiping her eyes.

"Would it help if you went to see him?" Astrid asked. "I could go with you if you want."

"But what if he gets mad?" said Avril, sounding pathetic.

"He won't get mad," said Astrid. "He won't even blame you, Avril, I promise. If he blames anyone, it'll be himself."

"Why?" said Avril. "Is he unenlightened?"

"Where did you hear _that_ word?" Astrid half-laughed.

"Hiccup said that Snotlout was 'unenlightened,'" said Avril, and paused. "What does unenlightened mean?"

"It basically means people who are weirdoes and rather dumb," said Astrid.

"Oh," said Avril, and then gasped as realization set in. "Oh, Astrid, that's so mean!"

Astrid smiled at her sister, patting her on the head before taking her hand. "Come on, then," she said. "Let's go see Hiccup." She walked with her sister to the Haddock residence, where Astrid pushed the door open and walked inside, gesturing for Avril to do the same.

"He's gonna get mad at me," said Avril, standing in the doorway, refusing to move. "I know he will get mad at me."

"Avril, he won't," said Astrid. "I promise you, he won't."

Avril stepped forward into the house, peering up the stairs, looking back at Astrid in question. Astrid nodded encouragingly, and Avril took the first few steps, the floorboards creaking only slightly underneath her feet. Astrid followed her up shortly, continuing to tell Avril over and over how Hiccup wouldn't be mad at her.

Avril stepped onto the loft, and instantly took in Hiccup's pale, sleeping form. She turned her head and looked at Astrid behind her, and Astrid nodded, pushing the girl forward in a way of silently telling her that it was okay. Avril stated walking, until she made it to the bedside, standing next to it, shuffling her foot rather awkwardly.

"Hiccup…?" she said. "You sleeping?"

In just a moment, his eyes flickered open, and he regarded her. Avril held her breath, wondering what he would say.

"Avril!" he said, pushing himself up on his elbow, ignoring the pain it caused him for the moment. "It's great to see you up on your feet again! How are you doing?"

"F-fine," Avril stuttered, and then started crying again.

"What, Avril?" Hiccup asked, sitting up with difficulty and leaning against the headboard. "What's wrong?"

"You...you're going to be mad at me," said Avril, trying to wipe her eyes from the tears that plagued them. "It's okay, too. You can be mad at me."

"Mad at you?" Hiccup asked. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because I hurt you," said Avril.

"No you didn't...wait," said Hiccup, glancing down at the bandages wrapped around his abdomen. "You didn't hurt me, Avril," he said. "The Gemsho did."

"But it was my fault!" said Avril. "I was the one who wandered into the forest alone! I shouldn't have, and now you got hurt!"

"Avril," said Hiccup, "I promise, it is not your fault, and I could _never_ blame you for something you didn't do." Avril looked down at her feet, not meeting Hiccup's eyes. "Avril," said Hiccup, putting two fingers under her chin and lifting it so she looked at her, "it's not your fault."

"So you mean…" Avril sniffled. "You mean you're not mad?"

"Of course I'm not," said Hiccup, smiling at the younger girl. A smile suddenly danced across Avril's face, and she launched herself into Hiccup's arms, hugging him as firmly as she could have mustered, making sure she avoided contact with Hiccup's wound.

"Thank you!" said Avril. "I love you, Hiccup! You saved me from the Gemsho _and_ didn't get mad at me!"

"Thank _you_ , Avril," said Hiccup. "You're a really special girl, you know that?"

"No," said Avril.

"Well, now you do," said Hiccup. "Thank you, Avril."


	27. Chapter 27

**GUYS! GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS! I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT RACE TO THE EDGE!**

 **Okay, so, THEY RELEASED THE TITLES TO THE NEXT THIRTEEN EPISODES. I REPEAT, THEY RELEASED THE TITLES FOR THE NEXT THIRTEEN EPISODES! AND HERE THEY ARE! :D**

 **Team Astrid  
Night of the Hunters, Part 1  
Night of the Hunters, Part 2  
Bad Moon Rising  
Snotlout Gets the Axe  
The Zippleback Experience  
Snow Way Out  
Edge of Disaster, Part 1  
Edge of Disaster, Part 1  
Shock and Awe  
A Time to Skrill  
Maces and Talons, Part 1  
Maces and Talons, Part 2**

 **OMGOSH, GUYS, I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED! LET ME KNOW IF YOU ALL FEEL THE SAME WAY! :D :D :D**

 **Sorry about that...I just...SO EXCITED. OH GOSH SO EXCITED. Thank you all for the reviews last chapter, and I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday. :'( BUT HERE IT IS! :D Enjoy! :D**

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"It wasn't my fault!" Avril shouted happily, jumping backwards and spinning around in a circle. She nearly crashed into Astrid, who reached a hand out to steady her sister, but Avril had already rushed down the stairs and out the door, shouting, "It wasn't my fault!" probably to anyone she saw.

"What was that about?" Hiccup asked Astrid once the door slammed shut, indicating the younger girl's departure.

"Oh," said Astrid, " _that_. Well...she was worried you would be mad at her once she saw you again."

"Yeah," said Hiccup. "She made that kind of apparent. I'm glad she's doing better. It's really great."

"Yeah," said Astrid. "The Gemsho said that she should get better in a matter of days, or somethin'...I just didn't know it would have happened so fast. I'm not complaining either way, though. In fact, I'm quite relieved."

"Oh, well, that's gre-" Hiccup started, but cut himself off with a sharp inhale of pain, gripping his stomach and squeezing his eyes shut.

"Hiccup?" said Astrid as soon as she saw his state. "Hiccup, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing," said Hiccup, trying to pull his hand away, but failing. He couldn't; the pain was too great. "I'm...f-f-fine…" He curled into himself, and then screamed just slightly, the pain increasing dramatically.

Astrid gasped in terror as she raced over to the bedside, grabbing Hiccup's arm in an attempt to pull it away from his wound to see if maybe the infection was worsening. What she saw, though, was worse. Blood was seeping through the bandages and his shirt, coating his hand lightly from where he held it.

Astrid gasped, her breath quickening.

"Hiccup, you're bleeding!" she shouted as she grabbed a cloth from the floor and pressed it to his wound. Hiccup's eyes shot open, his breathing uneven and shaky as the pain was taking its toll.

"I-I'll get the healer!" Astrid called to him as she stumbled towards the stairs, tripping over her own feet until she finally managed to tumble out the door, running as fast as possible towards the healer's house.

"VALARIE!" she screamed as she threw the door open, nearly face planting the ground as she did so. Valarie looked up at the girl suddenly before racing forward, holding Astrid up by the shoulders.

"Astrid, what happened?" the healer demanded.

"It's...Hiccup," Astrid managed to gasp out. "S-something's wrong with him! I think his wound reopened!"

Valarie instantly pushed past the girl, grabbing her bag of supplies as she started running. Astrid took off after the healer, not even giving herself time to catch her breath. She was terrified, now. The Gemsho may have been gone, but its damage still remained.

Valarie and Astrid burst through the door and ran up the stairs, Valarie in front, Astrid behind her. Hiccup was still curled into himself on the bed, whimpering and clutching his wound, trying to keep the cloth pressed against it.

Valarie raced over, placing her hand on his forehead just to withdraw a moment later, dumping the contents of her satchel on the floor beside her and digging through them to find some bandages.

"Astrid, go get some water, hurry!" Valarie shouted, and the girl nodded, not having to think twice as she darted back down the stairs, out the door, and towards the well.

She grabbed a bucket as she ran, skidding to a stop in front of Berk's water supplier before she dunked the bucket into the well, water pouring into it. Once it was filled, she ran back towards the Haddock residence, her heart pounding in her ears.

By the time she made it back up the stairs to the loft, the bucket was only half filled with water, but at least it was enough. She crossed the room and set the bucket down next to Valarie, who was undoing Hiccup's bloodstained bandages in somewhat of a mad haste.

Valarie wasted no time in tossing the used gauze to the floor, grabbing a clean cloth from her scattered satchel contents, dipping it in the water, and then washing the blood away from the wound so she could see it. Hiccup gasped in pain for response, his breathing labored and wheezy.

With the wound mostly clean, Valarie got a good look at the deep gash. When she did, she gasped.

"Oh no…" she muttered.

"What!?" Astrid demanded. "What is it!? What's wrong!?" Valarie didn't respond. "VALARIE!" Astrid yelled.

Valarie swallowed. "The infection worsened," she said. "In just so short a time as well, and that's not a good sign at all, Astrid. If this pace continues…" Her voice trailed off, and she glanced up at Astrid. "There's nothing I can do," she said. "I can't drain the infection, he's not strong enough, and he's lost a lot of blood just from it reopening...it's still bleeding, too, Astrid," she added, pressing multiple cloths to the wound, which were already looking blood soaked.

She started wrapping the wound again, over and over with multiple layers of bandages and gauze, trying to stem the bleeding. Hiccup had passed out now, limp and unresponsive, which just added to the worry of both Astrid and the healer.

"I need to drain the infection," said Valarie, "but I can't. He's far, far too weak. His body won't be able to take it, especially after the blood loss he just suffered. He won't survive if I do, for certain."

"If you don't do it...will he die?" said Astrid.

"Maybe," said Valarie. "I know that if I do try to drain it he will _most assuredly_ die. We can...just let him try to fight it on his own-"

"No!" said Astrid. "No, there has to be something we can do, Valarie!"

"I don't know, Astrid," said Valarie. "I'll look through some books of mine and see if there isn't something that can help, but...I don't know what good it will do. I am _very_ sorry."

"What are you saying?" said Astrid, her voice dropping, although it still held the angry, demanding tone that would have made anyone want to do as she said. "Why are you apologizing like this?"

Valarie swallowed nervously. "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't expect him to survive the night."


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey, guys! So, in my last author's note, I gave you all the list for the new Race to the Edge episode titles, and some of you were wondering if I knew when they were coming out.**

 **Well, good news! I DO! :D I believe they will be coming out during the second half of December. We will get 13 episodes for Race to the Edge every six months for two years, so we'll get over 50 episodes. I KNOW, RIGHT!? AMAAAAAAAAZZZZIIIIINNNNNNNNG! :D**

 **Enjoy chapter 28! :D**

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Astrid felt her breath quicken once the healer was finished speaking. She glanced back at Hiccup, and collapsed to the edge of the bed, staring at the floor as she tried to register what had just happened.

"I'm sorry, Astrid," said Valarie.

Astrid nodded. She didn't know what to say, what to think. Her mind was blank. It was one hundred percent blank. How was she supposed to respond? What was she supposed to say What did Valarie _expect_ her to say? "Me too," she whispered at length.

"I'm going to do some research," said Valarie, but Astrid wasn't even listening to her. Hiccup wasn't expected to survive the night. He was _dying.._.

Valarie put a hand on Astrid's shoulder. "I take it you're going to stay here all night."

Astrid nodded silently. The sun had already set, leaving Berk underneath the darkened shadow of night. That's exactly how Astrid's mind felt: dark, hopeless, scant of the light that came with Hiccup being with her.

"I'll let your family know for you," said Valarie, her voice quiet.

"Thank you, Valarie," said Astrid slowly. "Do you, by chance, know when Stoick will be getting back?" She knew that the Chief would lose his mind when he heard about Hiccup, but she couldn't even bring herself to think about that very much.

Valarie shook her head. "Last I heard he was doing some late night work," she said. "He'll probably be back in a few hours."

"Okay," said Astrid. "If you somehow manage to see him on your way, maybe you could...I don't know...let him know."

"Of course," said Valarie, offering the girl a sad smile. She collected her things once more, and then left the abode, leaving the bucket of water and rag there, giving Astrid instructions to break Hiccup's fever should he get one. Astrid nodded and bid farewell to the healer as she left the house, heading towards her destinations.

After ten or so minutes, Hiccup groaned, opening his eyes and struggling to sit up. Astrid pushed him back down by the shoulders, and his eyes rolled over to regard her. They were fever bright and hazy, and she had to blink rapidly to keep tears from welling in her eyes.

"Astrid?" he choked. Astrid nodded. "Wh...what...happened?" He coughed weakly into his fist, and Astrid rubbed his shoulder.

"Shh, stop," Astrd whispered. "Your wound reopened. You lost a lot of blood. You need to rest."

Hiccup blinked up at her; that was the problem with him. He could read her like a book, and he was an _excellent_ reader. "That's not it, though, is it?" said Hiccup. It was more of a statement than a question, Astrid caught in his voice. "There's something else you're not telling me, Astrid, and I know it."

"N-nothing," said Astrid quickly; too quickly. She didn't want to tell him. She couldn't tell him. She couldn't tell him he was _dying_...

"Please don't lie to me, Astrid," Hiccup almost begged her, his voice quiet and small. "Please don't lie to me…"

Astrid sucked in a sharp inhale of breath. She couldn't lie to him, it was impossible now that he begged her not to. She took another deep breath before she spoke. "Your infection got worse, Hiccup," she said. "The healer...she's...she's not expecting you to survive the night."

Hiccup glanced up at her, his eyes filled with terror. There. The truth was out. Astrid didn't want to see his face at this point, but she looked at him anyway. "Astrid?" he said.

"Yes?" the girl responded.

"I-I don't w-want to die," Hiccup whimpered, rolling over on his side, pressing his back against Astrid's crossed legs.

"I know, I know," said Astrid, grasping his cold hand in hers and massaging his shaking, pale fingers. "You won't, though, Hiccup. You'll be fine. You won't die. I promise."

"Promises don't mean anything," Hiccup muttered.

"Yes, they do," said Astrid. "It'll be okay, Hiccup."

"Mmm," Hiccup mumbled. "Whatever you say." He closed his eyes and sagged against Astrid, surrendering himself to sleep, feeling feverish yet cold, in pain, and exhausted. Astrid pulled the blanket over his body and smoothed it around him, trying to keep herself from thinking about what the healer had told her.

She stayed there, her fingers moving almost on their own as she redid two little braids in Hiccup's hair as a habit. She liked doing it; besides, she thought, in her own personal opinion, that the braids looked rather cute, even though she knew he didn't like it. He sometimes took them out, yet always let her redo them. She wasn't sure why.

She kept trying to tell herself that Hiccup wasn't going to die, but by the looks of it, that was exactly what was going to happen. She placed her arm over him, pressing her hand to his chest so she could feel his heartbeat.

The hours seemed to pass like days, each minute seemingly far, far longer than it truly was. Hiccup didn't wake up, and maybe that scared Astrid even more so than Valarie's prediction. As long as Hiccup was awake, then at least Astrid would know he wasn't dead. She wanted so desperately to just wake him up and hear his voice again, or see his eyes open once more.

However, looking down at him was the only thing that strayed waking the boy. He was shivering, pale, and she knew just by looking at his face that he was exhausted and needed to rest. He was unnaturally thin, possibly looking even worse than he had earlier. His ribs pushed against Astrid's hand as he breathed deeply yet unevenly, and the girl could feel every one of them.

Feeling Hiccup's chest rise and fall was both a relief and a concern for Astrid. A relief, because it meant that he was still fighting, holding onto life by just a thread. However, it was also a concern, though, because she knew that any breath he took could have been his last. Every time he exhaled, she held her breath a little bit, worried he wasn't going to bring more oxygen into his lungs.

She placed her hand on his head to make sure he wasn't getting a fever. He didn't, but maybe that was just the problem. His hair was sweaty and greasy, a dull shade of brown instead of its usual auburn. Astrid figured that it was lack of sunlight that caused the color change.

She stayed there for longer than she cared to think about. She knew it had been a few hours, but she just wasn't sure how many hours exactly. It could have been four, while it could have very well been eight at the same time. She didn't know for certain, nor did she care at the moment, either.

She listened to him breathe, feeling his heartbeat, worried it would stop at any moment in time. The thought terrified her, that Hiccup could stop breathing at any given second. She tried not to think about it, but that was nearly impossible to accomplish. Her mind kept drifting to the fact that the healer didn't think Hiccup was going to make it through the night without slipping away.

Hiccup whimpered in his sleep, and Astrid shushed him softly, trying to calm him while at the same time trying to calm herself.

It wasn't working, though, because she knew that Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was going to die.


	29. Chapter 29

Astrid smoothed Hiccup's unkempt hair down with her hand when he groaned. It wasn't in her character to be caring or concerned, but maybe things had changed, because she really _did_ care about Hiccup, and she really _was_ concerned for him, try to deny it as she might.

She couldn't help worrying, never leaving his side, not even feeling tired. When she _did_ feel the urge to sleep (albeit it was seldom), she always ignored it and brushed it away, thinking about how if she fell asleep, if Hiccup woke up in pain, then she wouldn't have been there to take care of him, or help him through it.

She stayed there, the minutes ticking by and by, the cycle continuing as if it literally had no end to it. Hiccup was still breathing, but Astrid knew that that could change in a split second. She didn't trust herself to leave the bedside; how could she? He could die while she was away, and that was something she didn't want to risk.

She thought that maybe, Hiccup _would_ survive the night. If he did, then maybe Valarie could find something that would help him. It already seemed to have been so long already; maybe morning was coming. Maybe the sun was about to rise. Maybe the night was wearing to an end.

She tried to stay in the positive. She was sure that way day came, they would find the cure for it. She didn't know why, but everything seemed brighter in the morning. At that moment, in the Haddock house, it was gloomy and dark, when normally it was filled with so much light.

She heard a slight, almost silent growl, and then leaned over the side of the bed to look at Toothless. His emerald eyes were on her and his rider, regarding her with a coo of concern.

"It's okay, Toothless," said Astrid, but how could she say that it was okay when it wasn't? It wasn't okay; Hiccup was dying. And if he died, Astrid knew that it would never be okay again, no matter how much time passed.

Toothless, in response, stood up and crossed over slowly, sniffing his master, before he recoiled, disliking the distinct smell of infection, sickness and sweat that the boy carried. However, in another moment of hesitation, Toothless chose to ignore it, pressing his head gently against Hiccup's chest, purring as if somehow that would save the young rider's life.

Astrid watched the Night Fury with sadness in her gaze. She knew Toothless loved his rider and would do anything and everything to try and protect him and save him, but at that moment, both Astrid Hofferson the Fearless and Toothless the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself were helpless as they watched their dear friend push through his pain and suffering.

It wasn't much long later when she heard the front door to the house open, followed by frantic footsteps ascending the stairwell. Unsure of who it was until he approached, Astrid wasn't surprised to see Stoick in the doorway. The Chief of Berk looked tired yet concerned as he said Hiccup's name and crossed over to the bedside, placing his hand atop his son's head.

"D-did Valarie tell you?" Astrid stuttered.

Stoick nodded sadly. "I can't believe this," he said, running his fingers over Hiccup's hair. "I _cannot_ believe this."

"Me neither," said Astrid. "I can't...I can't believe there's nothing we can do. I mean...there has to be _something_ we could do, instead of just sitting here doing nothing!" She knew she'd said it a lot. She said that _all the time_ , practically, feeling angry and hating herself because there was literally _nothing she could do_. She knew it. She knew there was nothing.

She hated herself for it. She hated herself, and she hated the Gemsho. She wished the Gemsho were still alive, just so she could kill it again.

It would have been better than watching Hiccup suffer without being able to help him.

Stoick shook his head sadly. "She already explained the situation to me," he said. "She's looking for something in her books, but...so far, I don't think she's found anything, or else she wouldn't have wasted a second getting here to tell us."

"You...make a good point," said Astrid, as much as she wanted to deny the truth. "I just really hope she finds something. I mean...she _has_ to. If she doesn't…" Her voice trailed off, only because she couldn't say it. She could think it all she wanted, but she couldn't say it out loud when that's what it came down to.

"I can't believe he's dying," she whispered, not meeting Stoick's eyes. She glanced up at him at length. "Dying," she repeated.

"I know," said Stoick. "Me neither."

Nothing else needed to be said. Stoick pulled a stool over next to the bed, sitting on the opposite side of Astrid, beside Toothless. Hiccup was sleeping fitfully, and there wasn't anything they could have done about it. It was scary, not knowing how much longer Hiccup was going to be alive.

After a few more minutes of whining and moaning in his sleep, Hiccup finally opened his eyes, squinting at Toothless in front of him, his Father across from him, and Astrid leaning over him.

"Hey…" was all he managed to say at the moment. He felt far too exhausted to say or do anything else, so in the end, he just settled for closing his eyes and relaxing, trying to take his mind off the terrible, mounting pain and clawing arms of unconsciousness.

"Hiccup," said Stoick, placing his hand on Hiccup's shoulder reassuringly. Hiccup was still lying on his side, pressing his back up against Astrid's crossed legs with his arms wrapped loosely around his stomach. He opened his eyes when he felt his Father's gentle touch, double blinking until his vision cleared.

"Dad…" Hiccup said in response, his voice weak. He managed to lift a shaking hand, putting it on top of Stoick's, giving his Dad an unconvincing smile.

"Are you feeling okay?" said Astrid, her voice full of more concern people who didn't know her better mustered. She knew it was a rather stupid question, but she wanted to hear how Hiccup was doing from his own words.

Hiccup shook his head tiredly, closing his eyes once more as they became heavy.

"Scale of one to ten, how bad?" Astrid asked.

"S-s-seventeen," said Hiccup.

"Hiccup, that's more than ten," said Stoick.

"I k-know," said Hiccup. "I-it's s-sevent-t-teen."

Astrid knew what that meant. It meant that Hiccup didn't know how to express his pain, and the fact he was being open with it was what made it even more terrifying.

He wasn't getting better.

He was getting worse.


	30. Chapter 30

**Welcome back, guys! *Moriarty voice* SORRY BOYS! I'm _SOOOOOOOOOOOOO_ CHANGEABLE! XD Sorry I didn't update yesterday. Life has been...*runs around frantically* LIKE...CRAZY. But I wrote this thing, and I'l going to try to update HTTYD2 AU sometime today, too, sooooooo...yeah. Until then, enjoy chapter 30! :)**

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Astrid placed her hand on Hiccup's head while Stoick moved his hand to lay on top of Hiccup's in a way of reassurance. Hiccup looked up at the both of them wearily, and they glanced back down at him, finding no words to speak. Hiccup tried to get comfortable, and then found himself unable to. His wound hurt so bad, almost as if it were on fire, slowly burning, taking all the time in the world, and he was starting to feel a dull, throbbing ache in his head due to the pain. He curled into himself tighter, drawing his knees to himself, almost pressing them against his chest, as if somehow that would abate his agony and stem his severe discomfort.

Toothless ruffled Hiccup's hair with his breath, laying his head next to Hiccup's so he could look the boy in the eyes. Hiccup, however, had his eyes closed and teeth clenched, trying to hold back the groans and moans of pain that were fighting to find their way out of him.

"W-will you…" Hiccup started, pausing only to swallow before continuing; "W-will you g-guys stay w-with me?"

"Of course we will," said Astrid.

"Nothing could keep us away, son," said Stoick, patting Hiccup's hand. Toothless rumbled in agreement, purring to try and soothe his suffering, dying master. Hiccup visibly relaxed, sighing contentedly, happy that since he was going to die, he was going to do it surrounded by his friends and family.

Hiccup rested against Astrid, leaning his weight against her, although he was already laying down. He appreciated her presence, along with the presence of his Father, and his dragon. He loved them all, and was relieved that they were going to stay with him during what he was certain was going to be the hardest part of his life.

Just as Hiccup thought he was about to fall asleep again, they heard the door swing open, followed by swift and almost frantic footsteps ascending the stairwell. A split second later, Valarie appeared in the doorway, carrying with her a small bag of herbs, and a book.

Astrid and Stoick looked at the healer with confusion as Valarie took deep breaths, seeming to have ran the whole way there (which she probably had, the more they thought about it).

"Valarie?" said Stoick. "What is it?"

"I...think...I've...found...something," Valarie gasped, and then approached the bedside. Toothless reluctantly moved out of the way just to let her see Hiccup, and Stoick scooted backwards slightly to do the same. Astrid was the only person besides Hiccup who remained unmoved, and only because she wasn't in the way of the healer.

"Found something?" said Astrid, almost excitedly. "What something?"

"A herb," said Valarie. "It's an uncommon herb, almost impossible to find, but I just barely managed to find some in my hut." She opened the bag and pulled out a sickly green twig-like plant with pale green leaves. The plant was flimsy, almost as if it were old, yet it looked freshly picked.

"What is _that_?" said Astrid.

"It's a healing herb," said Valarie.

A healing herb. Wait a minute…

"You mean...you mean you can save him!?" Astrid said excitedly, a smile blooming on her face just for a few moments.

"Maybe," said Valarie.

Astrid and Stoick's smiles fell.

"Maybe?" Stoick questioned, and Valarie nodded. "What do you mean _maybe_?"

"This herb works in mysterious ways," said Valarie. "It could heal almost any open wound, broken bones unincluded. It can't make scars disappear; it has to be a deadly, open wound recently either reopened or created. Hiccup's wound is rather both. The herb could heal infections in a matter of twenty four hours, just so long as we healers do the rest of the work as far as keeping it clean goes. It could stem blood flow, and reduce fevers if they are caused by the wound."

"Then what are you waiting for!?" said Stoick demandingly. "Go ahead and use it!"

"That's the thing, Stoick," said Valarie, hesitating slightly. "I said _could_ for a reason."

"What's the...y'know... _not_ 'could'?" said Astrid, trying to find the words while she was panicking inside. She glanced down at Hiccup; he was sleeping again, his chest rising and falling shakily.

"It could kill him," said Valarie.

"Well, this wound is killing him anyway," said Stoick. "He'll be dead by morning if we don't act quickly, we all know that much. It's better to give him a chance then to just fail him completely."

"No, Stoick, you don't understand," said Valarie. "The herb will keep him alive for three weeks before it kills him...but during those three weeks will be endless torment, and unbearable pain. Three weeks of that, Stoick, and then he dies, whereas now, he will have a quick death. It's completely up to you, Stoick, but we have to hurry."

"You mean...we either stay here and do nothing, and then watch him die," said Astrid, hesitating slightly on each word, "or, we give him this...this _plant,_ in which he can either die a slow, unbelievably painful death that takes three weeks, or he can he healed of his infection and get back to normal instantly."

"Not instantly," said Valarie. "It could still take up to a week for the healing process. But he won't die, I can tell you that if it works."

Stoick, meanwhile, had stood up and was now pacing the room, glancing from Astrid, Valarie, Toothless, and his sick and dying son. He knew he needed to act fast, but he didn't know how or what to do. It was either watch Hiccup die quickly without trying to save him, or risking watching him die slowly and painfully for three weeks straight, each day full of torment.

"Stoick," said Valarie, "we really, really need to hurry. I'm sorry, but...I still need to get my assistants and get everything ready, and it doesn't look like he has much time left."

It was probably the hardest decision Stoick could have been asked to make as a father regarding his one and only son, but he knew that Hiccup was a fighter. He knew that Hiccup would have wanted him to try, at least giving him a chance.

So, he spoke two single words, that were harder for him to say than anything else:

"Do it."


	31. Chapter 31

***walks down spiral staircase with white gown flowing dramatically behind me***

 **Nice, to, meetcha, where've you, been?  
I can show you incredible things.  
Fandoms, Fanfics, that's my, trend,  
I saw it there and I thought,  
"What the heck? What is this?  
This looks like...a brand new ship?"  
Better watch out, here I go again! (OH NOOOOOOOO!) **

**Sorry guys, I am SO random. :P Here's chapter 31! :D**

* * *

This was even more terrifying than watching Hiccup fall into the flames during the battle against the Red Death. This was different than any of the other situations Astrid had ever found herself in.

Valarie nodded, quickly placing the herb on the desk before running off to get Rosie and Gina. She returned almost moments later with the two young girls, who instantly ran back downstairs to heat some water. Valarie handed Rosie the herb, and the girl took off downstairs once more to help Gina.

Valarie, meantime, had laid Hiccup out on his bed, undoing the already bloodstained bandages and casting them aside.

The wound looked so much worse than it had before, and Astrid and Stoick couldn't hold back their gasps. It looked worse than "worse", and more terrible than just simply "terrible." It certainly didn't look happy, and even that was an underestimate.

Stoick and Astrid sat by Hiccup, Astrid holding the poor boy's hand while Toothless looked from the healer to his rider with concern and worry.

"Done!" came a shout from Rosie and Gina as footsteps met their ears once more. The two younger girls came up the stairs with a bowl and cup, both of which had steaming liquid in it.

"Thank you, girls," said Valarie, taking both objects from her assistants and setting them down on the desk. The contents of the bowl were thick, almost like a paste, and it was dark green and smooth. The liquid in the cup was as thin as water with a slight green hint to it; nothing much, though.

Valarie handed the cup of water to Astrid, who took it almost instantly. "Get him to drink it," said Valarie.

"How much of it?" said Astrid. She tried to keep her hand from shaking.

"All of it," said Valarie. She dipped her fingers into the bowl, scooping some of its contents onto her hand before looking at Stoick.

"This is it," she said. "If he thrashes, make sure he doesn't move." She spread the paste over the gash, and Hiccup did nothing more than groan, his head lolling to the side. Astrid, meanwhile, was forcing the liquid of the cup down his throat, and although he coughed and choked at first, he was eventually coaxed into swallowing.

"How will we know if it works?" Stoick asked, worry evident in his voice. Valarie rubbed the last of the thick paste on Hiccup's wound and then handed the bowl back to Rosie, who set it to the side.

"We won't know for three days," said Valarie.

Astrid's brain screeched to a halt. "THREE DAYS!?" Astrid shouted.

Valarie nodded. "Three days," she repeated, turning her attention to Astrid for just a moment before looking back at Stoick. "The herb is rather strange in the way it works. In three days, Hiccup's body will either accept it, or reject it. If it accepts it, he should wake up in three days time exactly feeling quite a bit of pain in his wound. If he's in pain when he first wakes up, it's a good sign. It means it's healing properly. However, if his body rejects the healing herb, he should wake up in three days feeling fine for about an hour, before the pain increases, thereby starting the three weeks of torment before he finally passes away."

"...And until then?" Astrid asked.

"There's no way of knowing," said Valarie. "It will be impossible to wake him for the next three days, and so the best thing to do is just let his body work. We'll know in three days for certain. I wish there was something more I could do."

"You're doing everything you can, Valarie, and I appreciate it," said Stoick.

"I do, too," said Astrid.

"Thank you," said Valarie. "All we have to do now is wait."

Rosie and Gina started gathering Valarie's supplies together while Valarie bandaged Hiccup's wound again in order to keep it clean, and to continue stemming the bleeding, which, albeit sluggish and slower than before, was still pursuing.

Once that was finished, Valarie, Rosie and Gina bid their goodnights and good lucks to Stoick, Astrid, Toothless and Hiccup before they left the house, going back to their own homes to try and get some sleep themselves.

Astrid, Stoick and Toothless remained where they were, waiting and hoping silently that Hiccup would pull through. No words were said between Stoick and Astrid, merely because neither one of them wanted to speak about the matter, and they _certainly_ couldn't have talked about anything else. Besides, even if they _had_ wanted to discuss something amongst each other, neither one of them knew what to say, or what to talk about when the only thing on their minds was Hiccup.

As they sat there, Astrid's mind took darker turns. Valarie hadn't sounded exactly excited about using the herb. Maybe there was more a chance of it failing than actually succeeding. Maybe there was no chance at all. Maybe it was ninety nine perfect it wouldn't work, and one percent that it would.

She tried not to think about it, but the more she tried to avoid it, the more it seemed to haunt her. She knew that there was no knowing for three days. She was certain that those three days were going to be unbelievably hard for her, Stoick and Toothless, not to mention Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who had worked with her so hard to destroy the Gemsho.

Astrid glanced at Hiccup's unconscious form, and then looked at Toothless and Stoick. They were watching Hiccup with concern in their eyes, and Astrid was sure that she was doing no different. She looked back down at Hiccup, and sighed. The herb had to work. It just _had_ to work. Astrid couldn't imagine it _not_ working. She couldn't imagine Berk without Hiccup. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, who had changed the village for the better in such a short amount of time all those years ago during the battle against the Red Death. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, who trained dragons, ran the Academy, was heir to the throne of Berk, and so close to death.

With that on her mind, Astrid closed her eyes for just a moment.


	32. Chapter 32

**Here is chapter 32, guys! I can't believe how far we've come. 32 CHAPTERS! That's a BIG DEAL! And I have you all to thank for it! All your encouragements have really kept me going. :) Enjoy chapter 32! :D**

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When Astrid woke up, it was already morning, the sun streaming through the window, the sounds of dragons roars heard off in the distance. She realized, after a moment of gazing about the room, that she had fallen asleep at Hiccup's bedside by mistake. She didn't know how long she had been there, nor did she try to figure out.

She did, however, realize that she was laying on the floor.

Astrid stood up abruptly, her arms and legs aching from the awkward position in which she had laid. She brushed off her skirt, combing her fingers through her bangs. Her braid was coming loose, but she disregarded it.

Stoick wasn't there; Astrid figured he had left to attend to his duties as Chief. Toothless was sleeping next to the bed, while Hiccup was still unconscious on top of it. He looked so peaceful that, just for a second, Astrid imagined he was sleeping; not dying. It was easy to imagine, but hard to pretend was true, because she knew it wasn't. Although Valarie had said there was a chance, Astrid knew all along that it was a slight one. She could tell by the healer's face as she explained; she could tell by the hesitation in her voice.

She stayed there for another hour until she left the Haddock residence, heading back towards her own house to see her family. She knew Valarie had told them of Hiccup's condition; she just didn't think the healer mentioned when the girl would return.

As soon as she walked out of the house, she heard a high-pitched voice shout her name. Astrid turned around, and was instantly slammed into by her little sister, who wrapped her arms around Astrid's legs (she wasn't tall enough to do anything else), holding as if the older girl was going to vanish.

"You were away all night!" Avril cried. "The healer came by and told us you were with Hiccup. Why?"

Astrid knelt down in front of her sister, trying to think of something to say that Avril would understand. She was smart, but she was also only three years old.

"Well, Avril," said Astrid, "Hiccup is very sick right now."

"So?" said Avril. "Why do you seem so sad? Sick people get better, right? Don't they? Whenever I get sick, I always get better."

"This is...a bit different, Avril," said Astrid.

"How is it different?" Avril asked. "I don't think it's different."

"Avril…" Astrid hesitated. She really didn't want to tell Avril the truth, but Avril could tell when Astrid was lying. Besides, the girl hated it when her older sister lied to her, and Astrid knew it more than anyone else on Berk.

"Triddy?" said Avril. It was a nickname Avril only seldom used; when she had first begun to speak, she couldn't pronounce Astrid's name, and always called the girl "Triddy." It stuck, but Avril only used it sometimes; when she was truly worried for Astrid, or trying to coax the truth out of her.

"I'm okay, Avril," said Astrid. "Yeah…" Avril raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'm not okay," said Astrid, refraining from her earlier sentence. "Hiccup is really sick right now, and I'm taking care of him because...well, I care about him."

"You do?" said Avril. "I mean...of course you do. I've known that for a few weeks now." Avril paused. "Are you and Hiccup going to get married?" the three year old asked.

Astrid almost choked on her own breath. "What?"

"I wanna be the flower girl!"

" _What?"_

"When you and Hiccup get married!"

" _WHAT?"_

Avril tilted her head to one side. "Well, _will_ you get married?" she asked innocently.

Astrid laughed and shook her head, ruffling her sister's hair. She hoped her laugh didn't sound too forced, although she was forcing it, trying not to cry when she thought about Hiccup. _Would_ she and Hiccup get married? Would Hiccup live long enough for them to be wedded? "Maybe," she said. "But it won't happen for a few years if it does."

"Yes, I guess," said Avril. "I can't be a flower girl until I'm old. Like you!"

"I'm not old, Avril," said Astrid.

"Well you're older than me!" said Avril. "I'm three!" She paused. "Hiccup's been sick before, but you've never actually looked this worried," she said. For once, Astrid wished her little sister wasn't so smart. "Is it bad?" the little girl asked when Astrid didn't reply.

Astrid sighed, and then nodded. There was no hiding anything from Avril. "Yes, it is," she said. "He's...not expected to survive."

Avril gasped, her eyes going wide. She stepped backwards, shaking her head feverishly. "No," she said. "He can't die! He'd make me cry, and that would be rude! He's not rude!"

"I know, Avril," said Astrid, "but he doesn't really have a say in it. It's not his fault."

"Then whose fault is it!?" Avril demanded.

"If anyone is to blame, then it is the Gemsho," said Astrid, "but he has already paid for his actions. We killed him, remember?"

"It's not fair!" said Avril. "Kill it again! Do something!" Before Astrid could answer, the little girl had turned around, and was now running in the opposite direction.

"Avril!" Astrid called out to her, but to no avail. Astrid looked down at her feet, feeling suddenly discouraged. She felt something bump her from behind, and she turned around to come face to face with Stormfly.

"Hey, girl," said Astrid, gently stroking the dragon's muzzle, right in between her eyes. Stormfly gestured with her head towards Avril, who was just disappearing from view. Astrid looked over her shoulder at the girl, and then back to her dragon.

"There's nothing I can do," said Astrid sadly. "Avril just needs time to...take it in. She's really fond of Hiccup. She loves him like a brother."

Stormfly snorted.

"Yeah, I know, as her sister it's kind of my place to be her guide," said Astrid, "but I'm just as worried and lost as she is right now. I don't know what to do. I don't need to be reminded of it anymore than I have to."

Stormfly huffed, and then shrugged.

"You can follow her if you would like," said Astrid. "I won't stop you. Besides, sometimes it's easier for you to...'talk' to Avril then it is for me to. She seems to calm down when she's mad when you're around."

Stormfly shrugged, and then went to do just as Astrid had suggested, running slightly before spreading her wings, taking after the girl.

"Thanks, girl," Astrid whispered, although she knew the dragon was too far off to actually hear her. She looked down at the ground.

She wished she was a better sister.

She wished her friend wasn't dying.

She wished she wasn't so powerless.

She wished beyond all her wildest hopes that somehow, Hiccup would pull through.


	33. Chapter 33

**Sorry it took me so long...I know it's been a while. Sorry. I've just been kind of feeling depressed lately, so, well...that stinks. Part of life, I suppose, but it stinks either way. Soooo...we're nearing the end of this story! :D I'm excited! I can't believe it! It's been a long road, and you guys have stuck with me! Thank you all! :D Enjoy chapter 33!**

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The days passed like weeks, each minute seeming to last hours longer than it was intended to. The three days of Hiccup's unconsciousness had to be the hardest three days of the Berkians' lives since the battle with the Red Death.

In fact, this was actually (dare I say it?) worse than those days. Hiccup had been in a coma for a week after facing the Queen of the nest, but at least then they knew that he was going to survive.

Right now, they didn't even have the mercy of that reassurance.

Stoick had called a meeting on the first day, telling the village of the newly discovered problem. It was shocking, hearing that Hiccup was either going to live or die, and, moreover, the fact that none of them were going to be able to know for three days straight.

Stormfly had brought Avril back, and as soon as she did, Avril had run into the arms of her sister, crying freely while Astrid tried in vain to comfort the poor girl. No words were needed between the two Hoffersons; both of they were equally scared onto what the next days would bring.

They had went to sleep that night; or tried to, anyways. Astrid ended up staying awake half the night while Avril eventually slipped into her older sister's room and crawled into bed with her, longing to gain the silent comfort the older girl brought upon the younger one.

On the second day, Astrid hadn't left the Haddock house once. Of course, she knew by Valarie and her assistants that Hiccup wasn't to wake up until the third day, but still, that didn't keep Astrid away. The only time she had left was at night, when she went back to her own house to go to sleep, promising that she would be back in the morning.

It was rather hard for them to wrap their minds around, the fact that no one knew if Hiccup was going to live or not.

On the third day, Astrid, Avril and Stoick stayed in Hiccup's room the entire day. Avril was hugging Astrid's leg while Astrid smoothed the girl's hair down. Toothless was standing by the bedside, leaning over his unconscious rider. Today was the day, and the suspense was killing them.

It was dark when Hiccup stirred. Astrid held her breath while Avril hid behind her, everyone in the room focusing their eyes on Hiccup. _Please work,_ Astrid begged quietly. _Please, please, please, please work...don't take Hiccup away from me...please work...it has to work, he's strong...it will work...please work...please work..._

An instant later, his eyes flickered open, and he glanced about the room. His eyes were glazed over and unfocused, but he looked remarkably aware of his surroundings. He looked at Stoick, shifted his gaze to Avril, and then up at Astrid.

"What time is it?" he asked blearily.

Astrid didn't answer him. She couldn't care less about answering the question "what time is it". She had bigger things to worry about. Sucking in a deep breath, se spoke. "Hiccup," she said carefully, "does your wound hurt?" She remembered what Valarie had said; if it hurt, then that meant that it worked. If he felt no pain, then it didn't.

Hiccup glanced at her for a second, tilting his head in confusion. Then, he placed his hand against his stomach and grimaced. "Yeah, it does," he said. "Pretty badly, too. Why do you-?"

"YES!" Astrid shouted, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around Hiccup. He tensed instantly, but she didn't let go. How could she let go? They had been so close. So close to losing him it was almost scary. Hiccup had been almost more dead than alive. More close to death than he was life, and Astrid couldn't think about that without feeling as though she would simply burst into tears.

Avril did the same as Astrid, hugging the boy, followed shortly by Stoick and Toothless.

And poor Hiccup didn't even know what the heck was going on.

"You guys are really bummed out about this, aren't you?" he said sarcastically while rolling his eyes as soon as his friends and father broke the embrace.

Astrid laughed and shook her head, unable to be mad at him for being sarcastic. How could she be mad at him? "You don't understand," she said. "What do you remember?"

"I remember you saying you were going to get the healer," said Hiccup. "After that...actually, I don't remember what happened after that. Is it morning already? What time is it?"

"Somewhere around seven o'clock, February the twenty eighth if you want to know," said Astrid.

Hiccup turned his head abruptly to look at her. "February twenty eighth," he repeated, and Astrid nodded. "You mean...you mean _three days_ have passed since last time I was awake?" he asked.

Astrid nodded.

"You two have a lot to catch up on," said Stoick. "I'm going to go spread the great news to the rest of the village." He ruffled his son's hair on his way out, giving him a kind smile before he left the abode.

"Okay, Astrid, spill the beans," said Hiccup. "Tell me everything."

And so she talked, and Hiccup listened. Astrid told him everything that had happened since he last remembered, with Valarie coming over, telling them about the plant, and how he almost died that night. Hiccup only nodded and gasped at times, otherwise remaining completely silent.

"And it's _all_ true?" Hiccup questioned once Astrid finished speaking, and Astrid nodded feverishly. Hiccup sat back, leaning against the headboard, trying to take it all in. "I almost died," he said. "Again."

"But you're alive!" said Avril. "I like it when no one dies!"

"Me too, Avril," said Hiccup, patting the girl on the head. Toothless, getting tired of waiting his turn, pushed past Astrid and Avril to get to his rider. Hiccup rubbed the dragon's head, smirking.

"And I take it you were as worried as ever, huh, Toothless?" said Hiccup, although he already knew the answer. Toothless cooed, licking Hiccup's face. Hiccup recoiled in disgust, yet laughing the whole time.

"I'm guessing I should get Valarie," said Astrid. "She'd like to check on you now that you're awake and everything. I'm just...Hiccup, I'm just so glad you're _alive_. For a while, we were all thinking you were going to die."

"Yeah, well, I didn't," said Hiccup, "and that's what matters, right?"

"Right," said Astrid, glancing behind her, and then looking back towards her friends and sister. "Well, let me go get Valarie. Avril, Toothless, make sure he doesn't leave." Avril saluted, as did Toothless. "Wonderful," said Astrid. She looked at Hiccup. "Stay," she said, and then ran back down the stairs.

Once the healer arrived, she looked over Hiccup instantly, giving positive results, and saying that the wound had sealed, yet was in slight danger of reopening at any given moment. Still, though, it was an improvement. After the examination, Valarie left Hiccup to sleep, as did Astrid and Avril, who both promised that they would be back in the morning.

And, for the very first time since Avril went missing in that storm all that time ago, Astrid and her little sister got a good night's sleep.


	34. Chapter 34

**GUYS! GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS! THIS IS THE FINAL CHAPTER, GUYS! GUYS! :D :D :D A BIIIIIIIGGGG thank you to everyone who supported this story, and supported me as well! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I've been sick. :( But enough about me! :D Enjoy the final chapter!**

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Astrid woke up the next morning, feeling well rested and better than she had felt in a long time. Standing up, she braided her hair, made her bed taking little care and then went to wake up Avril. Turns out, the girl was already up, and was trying (and failing) to do her own hair.

"Morning, Avril," Astrid greeted. Avril spun around, and beamed.

"Sis!" she said. "Can you help me braid my hair? I accidentally tied it in a knot, and it won't come out!"

Laughing slightly, Astrid nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed, Avril turning around in front of her. Astrid braided her sister's hair in the same fashion as her own, only it split into two braids half-way down.

"There," said Astrid. "Done."

"Yay!" said Avril. "Thanks! Can we go see Hiccup?"

"Yes we can," said Astrid, "only you have a few chores to do-" She gestured to the messy room, "-and then we can go."

"You can go on without me while I do this," said Avril. "I'll get Stormfly to walk me over."

"I would rather stay with you, Avril, and then walk over together," said Astrid. She didn't want to leave the girl out of sight for more than a few minutes, especially after the run in with the Gemsho.

"But it'll be fine!" said Avril. "I promise! Stormfly will take me! You go on ahead!"

"Well...if you're sure," said Astrid. There was no arguing with Avril when she got her mind set on something, and besides, Avril loved it when Astrid trusted her enough to be alone with Stormfly.

"I'm sure!" said Avril. "Go on! I'll meet you there!"

"Oh, Avril, there's one more thing," said Astrid.

"Yes?" said Avril.

"Today is Hiccup's birthday," said Astrid, "so when you see him, make sure you let him know."

"Oh, okay!" said Avril. "Should I get him something?"

"If you want," said Astrid, "or my present to him can be from both of us."

"Okay, that sounds great, since my presents are not as good as yours," said Avril.

"Yes they are," said Astrid.

"Go on and see Hiccup!" said Avril, shoving her sister lightly. "He's probably waiting for you!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" said Astrid. "Make sure Stormfly watches you all the way over."

"Deal!" said Avril. "Bye-bye!"

Astrid nodded and then headed off to Hiccup's house. When she got there, Hiccup was awake, sitting up in his bed, leaning up against the headboard.

"HAPPY SIXTH BIRTHDAY, HICCUP!" Astrid announced. It was the running joke of the village; everyone was congratulating Hiccup on turning six.

"Well, good morning, Astrid," Hiccup said, turning to look at her as he smiled. "I forgot about my birthday, though." He shrugged. "Being unconscious would do that to you."

"Yeah, well, I didn't forget," said Astrid. "Which is good. You don't want to miss your birthday, especially when you only have one every four years or so."

"Yes, and you have one _every_ year which is _completely_ unfair," said Hiccup.

"Well, it's not my fault you wanted to be awkward and decided to be born on the leap day of the leap year," said Astrid.

"It's not exactly as if I had a say in it," said Hiccup.

"Okay, yeah, I guess you're right," said Astrid. "I can't blame you for being awkward. It runs in your blood."

"HEY! _RUUUUUDE_!"

"Someone had to tell you."

"And I'm turning twenty, Astrid," said Hiccup. "Not six."

"Oh," said Astrid. "Wow, twenty? Really?" Hiccup nodded. "Wow," Astrid laughed. "In that case, should I get you a cane?"

"Hardy har har."

"Sounds great," said Astrid. "It's good to see you back to your normal self. You have _no idea_ how crazy it was while you were unconscious. Gave the entire village quite the scare."

"Yeah, I guess I tend to do that," said Hiccup. "First the Red Death, then the lightning, and then now."

"Yeah, well, just because you do it a lot doesn't mean any of us are used to it yet," said Astrid. "Because, in case you haven't noticed, we are _not_ , and will _never be_ used to your daredevil instincts."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Hiccup.

"Yes I am," said Astrid. "How are you feeling?"

"The pain's kind of wearing thin," said Hiccup, "although Valarie doesn't want me up and about for another few days, just so she can be sure the wound has sealed properly. We don't want it reopening again."

"Oh, tell me about it," said Astrid, and then paused. "Never mind, don't tell me about it."

At that moment, Avril burst into the room. She was beaming.

"Happy birthday, Hiccup!" said Avril. "How old are you turning?"

Hiccup opened his mouth to answer, but Astrid beat him to it.

"Six," she said.

"ASTRID!" Hiccup growled.

"What?" said Astrid. "It's true!"

"It most certainly is _not_ ," said Hiccup.

"What is it?" said Avril. "Are you really six?"

"Yes," said Astrid, while at the same time, Hiccup said, "No."

"He's really six," said Astrid.

"AM NOT!" Hiccup said. "I was born on the crazy, completely useless why-does-it-even-exist day in a leap year! Just because February twenty ninth only comes once every few years does NOT mean I am turning six! I am turning twenty!"

"But six at heart," said Astrid.

"Not helping."

"Astrid, you said you wanted to give Hiccup something, didn't you?" said Avril.

"Oh, right…" Astrid reached into her pouch attached to her belt, and pulled out what looked like a necklace. The chain was silver, and the charm was a black oval that looked almost like…

"A dragon scale…?" Hiccup asked, glancing at Astrid.

Astrid nodded. "But, not just _any_ dragon scale," said Astrid, holding it out for him to take. "It's a scale from the Gemsho. I um...managed to grab it. I found it on the ground...didn't tell anyone else about it. I would understand if you don't want to have it, because of the memories, but I thought maybe it would be more of a sign of strength."

"Astrid-" Hiccup started, only to be cut off.

"Strength, because, well, you conquered the pain the Gemsho bestowed on you," said Astrid. "And...well, we won, and-"

"Astrid, I love it," said Hiccup.

"You...what?" said Astrid.

"I said I love it," said Hiccup. "Sign of strength or not."

"REALLY!?" said Avril. "He likes it!" She ran down the stairs, out the door, and started shouting to the village about how Hiccup liked their present. Hiccup and Astrid merely laughed.

"And you know what," said Hiccup, "for the record, I didn't conquer the Gemsho alone. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

Astrid struggled to not blush. "You're welcome," she said. "And thank you, too."

"Why?" said Hiccup.

Astrid smiled. "For not dying," she said. "You know, I was really worried." She paused all at once, her smile fading. "You were sick," she said slowly. "You were really sick, and you were hurt...and..." The shock caught up with her. "You almost died," she said. "You were so close to dying...so close to...to...being gone." She lifted her head. For some reason, she felt tears fly into her eyes. "Hiccup-"

He understood what she needed, and he hugged her tightly. She hugged him back even tighter, trying to keep from crying although her tears fell anyway, without her permission. "I was so scared," Astrid gasped. "I was so scared that...that you were...were going to...d-die..."

Neither of them said anything else after that. They simply held each other, content in the safety of the other's arms. Astrid buried her face against Hiccup's shoulder, and he rested his chin on her shoulder, his arms tightening around her.

"I didn't die," he said. "That's the important thing. I'm alright, and I'll always be alright. Alright?"

Astrid nodded shakily, her grip on him never loosening. "I love you, Hiccup," she gasped. "I couldn't...I couldn't bear the thought of...of ever losing you...and we came so...so close..."

"But I'm fine," Hiccup promised. "I'm right here. I'm right here...I've gotcha..."

On any other day, she probably would have pulled back, but now, she didn't. She didn't; instead, she clung to Hiccup tightly, terrified that if she let go, he would instantly go back to being sick.

"I love you too, Astrid," Hiccup whispered.

Astrid only hugged him tighter in response. "I'm glad you're okay," she whispered back.

Hiccup smiled faintly. "I'll always be okay," he said. "So long as I have you."

Astrid felt the same way.

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 **Author's Notes:**

 **So, guys, what do you think? Good? Bad? I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS STORY BROKE 30 CHAPTERS! LIKE, I TOTALLY DID NOT EXPECT THAT TO HAPPEN! AND IT ALSO BROKE 300 REVIEWS! WOWWWWWWWWWW!**

 **Thank you all for supporting this story! :D :D :D Means a lot to me that you guys did! So, I really don't have much to say right now other than THANK YOU! I'm going to be re-doing the POLL on my profile maybe in a few days or so, so when the new one is up, you guys can go ahead and vote for whichever story you want me to write next! :)**

 **And just so you all know, REQUESTS ARE CLOSED. So, yeah, no more requesting stories for a while, guys, unfortunately. I've got a lot on my plate. ;) **

**So, I hope you all liked this. :D Until next time!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


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